Pitch and Pink
by Wolfkcing
Summary: Ever wake one morning with this unexplainable...is desire the word." A character driven story parring Jinx and Raven. You've been warned.
1. Chapter 1ne

**Pitch and Pink**

12-23-04

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(A.N.) Normally, I'm all about plot and action, but then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, meaning a couple-like relationship will develop between the females. Don't like? Then don't waste your time reading it. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

Liberties have indeed been taken with the Jinx character. There just isn't much to go on with her cartoon adaptation, which seems to have little to do with the comic book version. In this fic she's a lot like the authoress Paineful's rendering in her story Challenge The World as I agree with her take on Jinx. Not because I'm lazy. (Hope she doesn't mind me plugging her story; I consider it a public service to mention such a great Jinx/Raven story!)

Thank my my beta reader Wabbit folks! It's the only way I can get her to do it for free ;)  
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(First person perspective for first chapter only.)

**Chapter One**

Ever wake one morning with this unexplainable...is desire the word? I think that will work. Well that's what happened to me a couple days ago. This crazy thought was tattooed to my brain. I just suddenly started wondering what _she_ was really like – Raven, my enemy. Of course.

Half awake the thought followed me to the bathroom, to my wardrobe closet, and finally to the breakfast table. I must have been thinking on it pretty hard because my ex-teammates were looking at me funny. I just shrugged and they continued stuffing their faces. Good thing there wasn't an alien controlling my mind or noth'n! Sheesh!

So just what would it take to get the scoop on that girl? Could I look up her bio on the Internet or something? Of course not! Deep down, I knew I would not be satisfied with just knowing things about her anyway.

The final kick that got me moving was when I considered a career change. How all these new thoughts got into my skull I'll probably never know. I wondered what the real differences between the Hive and the "other side" might be. I even went into a crazy long-winded explanation for Gizmo and Mammoth, but I don't think they quite got me...

"You know sometimes I think those goodies got it better than we do. No running from the damn light. No secret bases that your enemies always find anyway. No worrying about scaring off your favorite rock stars when you go to their concerts..." I had rambled.

"What?" Gizmo asked me. Mammoth hadn't a clue either.

Knowing all along I was going to go through with it, I went on.

"When it all comes down to it, what are the real differences between them and us? Huh? I ask you!"

They just looked at me blankly. 

"Well, I'm glad we had this talk guys. Thanks a bunch!" I said as I walked away from them for the last time.

"Maybe it's that time of the month," Gizmo comments to Mammoth. I let it go. I'll get him for that crack next time we meet. I know where I'm going.

So there I stood; at the foot of the Titan's Tower. Trepid? You betcha! But I wouldn't let them see that. Say...What does trepid mean anyway? Think I heard Raven say that the other day...

I hadn't even finished going over my plan in my head before I found them all around me. All of them were there, itching for a fight. Could you blame 'em?

"What are you doing here Jinx?" Robin barked at me. I'm facing him as he stands there with his arms crossed.

I don't know why but, whenever I get nervous, I smile. That only made them more edgy. Oh, well.

"Well..." I began, and was unable to stop myself from stealing a glace at the reason I came here. She was just as eager to take me out as the others. Don't know why I expected anything less.

"I've had a change of heart and now I need a new job." This floored Star, Cy and the green guy. Robin just glared harder, and Raven? Well, there was no change in her stony faced expression.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Beast Boy demanded.

"And we're supposed to just believe you? After all you've done?" Cyborg was grilling me.

I felt boxed in and was starting to think this probably wasn't such a good idea. I stole another glance at her and there was still nothing, but...Robin. Maybe its just tricks of memory, but sometimes I think that boy can read minds or something. I'm almost dead certain he caught me staring at her.

"I said I want the job," I pressed. My offer was good! There was no way I could take them all out so I figured, with little old me at such an obvious disadvantage, they would have to hear me out. Finally. I could feel them considering the possibility that I was telling the truth. All but Raven. Of course.

"Are you serious?" Robin asked, and with out warning he marched straight up to me and jutted his face in mine. He was staring into my eyes, maybe even my soul. You never know. Some people don't need super powers to do things like that. Apparently he found no threat in me—and there was none, thank you!—because he then said...

"You have one shot. Don't make me regret this."

I was shocked. His teammates were shocked. Even Raven betrayed her chronically stoic expression. Oooo! Look at me using all these big words!

The funny thing is that that very day, I managed to make serious head way on that whole trust-gaining thing with all of the Titans but one: Raven. Of course!


	2. Chapter 2wo

(A:N) Normally, I'm all about plot and action, and drama/romance later. Then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, which means that a couple-like relationship will develop between two females. Don't like? Then don't waste your time reading it. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

The sun was climbing into it's place, free of the sort of worry those on the planet light-years away might be riddled with. A few rain clouds hugged the sky on either side of the grand energy source. The pink haired girl couldn't feel its warmth through the large glass wall she stood before. A chill had settled into her bones as she recounted where she was. The structure she now inhabited had once been a target – an obstruction to her former way of life. Now it was...home. 

'Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. You're crazy. Do you know that Jinx? Why, yes I do!' 'Did I just answer myself?' Jinx's thoughts were as stable as an offended beehive. The teen rested her head against the glass for a moment and felt nostalgic. This was only the morning after she had joined them and already she felt displaced by the weight of new expectations. However, she would not run now! Something was compelling her to stay. She figured it was Raven, but how exactly?

"Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought her back."

Jinx grinned, lifting her head and letting her drama disperse. Her own nature didn't allow her to contemplate too hard for too long on anything. There were new things to do and who knew? She might actually enjoy her stay, even if she never figured out why she came.

"I'm not the one who's so far away when I feel the snake bite enter my veins," she began to sing and went quite once she heard a door open somewhere near by. Robin came in, yawning and looking surprised to see her. Her lips raised slightly in one corner.

"Morning," he called in a rough tone.

"Morn'n boss!" Jinx chimed.

Robin paused on his way to the fridge and frowned. It was an innocent enough gesture from her, but he didn't like the idea of only one Titan calling him that. It didn't seem right. "Don't call me that."

"Aw come on!" Jinx exclaimed briskly moving toward him as he swiped a bowl from a nearby cupboard. As Robin watched her, he had to force himself to relax an impulse to brace for impact. She moved in a calm environment with the same potency as in a fight. Fights with her had been memorable after all. It was hard to forget a girl who could knock a building over just by blasting any one part of its chassis.

"I think it's funny," Jinx said, hopping onto a seat at the dinner table very much like a cat. Robin watched her out of the corner of his eyes. She still unnerved him but he didn't want to insult her by gawking every time she moved. In response to her comment he just made a sound that was neither an agreement nor a rebuff.

"Coco Pops?" Robin asked the ex-criminal, holding the box of mentioned cereal. She nodded with a broad smile. He poured her a bowl, found a spoon and placed both into her waiting hands.

"Such service!" she gasped, digging in. Robin smirked and sat down with his own bowl. 

"So, what are we going to do first Boss?" Jinx asked a moment latter. Robin grumbled. There was that word again...

"We're going to have you take on the training course with each member of the Titans."

Another door could be heard opening and closing and Robin could tell it was Cyborg by the heavy footsteps and the sound of the door, which was bigger than any of the others. Soon all the other Titans had found their way into the room. Raven was last. Jinx had a big grin all ready for the last arrival but it was not returned in kind. Somehow Jinx had expected this.

"Your slumber was most refreshing, yes?" Starfire asked Jinx with unrestrained interest.

"Yeap. Peachy." Jinx answered. She was finding Star's enthusiasm contagious.

Robin coughed and all the Titans looked at him.

"I was just telling Jinx we're all going to train with her today so she can get use to working with us," Robin explained.

"Delightful!" Starfire cheered putting her hands together.

"Sorry guys," Cyborg entered, "Me and Beast Boy gotta catch a Basket Ball game today."

"Oh. I'm sorry Cyborg," Robin said slapping his forehead, "I completely forgot about that."

"Yeah. We'll do it some other time, okay?"

"Sure. But we'll train with her while your out," Robin told him.

"Alright," Cyborg agreed.

"Yeah! My team is going to smoke yours!" Beast Boy exclaimed, beginning to sing and perform some kind of row-your-boat dance maneuver.

"Were rooting for the same team!" Cyborg boomed. Apparently they had been through this several times already.

"Really? Oh well. Same difference!" Beast Boy stated. Jinx grinned. Raven would have rolled her eyes but had gotten sick of doing that whenever in the presence of the changeling.

Jinx's heart tensed as she approached the dark teenager who had said barely a word all morning. She didn't think about why she was reacting this way to Raven. She struggled to appear as casual as possible and keep eye contact. The Raven just stared right back as she came to a stop only five feet from her on the shore on the shadow of the Titan's tower. The wind, that held lightly to the scent of sand and water, was tugging at their attire lightly as they stood on the shore of she small island.

"Um...hi...Raven," Jinx greeted, finding it strange to try using the name as a friend. It had been difficult with all the Titans at first.

"Hello..." Raven said in a lifeless, drawling tone. Jinx felt awkward; she turned to view the obstacle course she had already gone through with Robin and Starfire. She had done fairly well with Robin and even better with Starfire. However, she did have a tough time keeping track of her allies once the fighting got hectic. This often cost time and endangered her teammate. Other than that, her own abilities put her on par with the other Titans.

"Think you can help me break my record?" Jinx asked letting a grin creep into her expression.

"...Doubtful..." Raven said. There was no change in her demeanor or the haunting eyes that peered out from under her hood.

Jinx lifted one brow. "Not a very optimistic thing, are you?"

"Never," Raven stated flatly.

"Begin!" Robin shouted.

Fifteen minutes and forty-two seconds revealed that Raven and Jinx did not get along very well. It had taken them that long to complete the level. Delays had been due mostly to Jinx's was inability to free Raven the two times she was apprehended by robotic coils and the fact that Raven hadn't bothered to try to free Jinx when she was in similar situations. Another mire was Jinx getting distracted when Raven's hood finally slipped off to reveal the dark beauty's face to the sunlight. She could only wonder why Raven hid it in the first place. have gone better," Jinx said between coughs and she sat on her bottom neat the finish line. Her outfit was singed. Robin handed her a bottle of water.

"Indeed," Raven agreed. "List of things that could use work begin with you,"

Jinx was shocked beyond words. Was that a joke? A friendly joke, or a put down? She didn't have much time to work on her reaction because Raven began to depart. Jinx came to the disappointing conclusion that the girl was not pleased. Damn.

Robin watched Raven for a second then turned to Jinx. "Good job," Robin congratulated her. Jinx looked at him like he had and extra limb growing out of his head.

"Boss...that sucked!" Jinx pointed out.

"It did, but you made it. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing sloppy. You'll get better," Robin stated confidently. It had taken Jinx only six and a half minutes with Robin to complete the course, and a little over four minutes with Starfire.

"You are victorious my friend. Let us partake in a feast of nourishment!' Starfire exclaimed, hugging Jinx. "It's great that you, Jinx, have truly decided to turn over a new tree and start your life course anew!"

"Sure. Whatever." Jinx mumbled, distracted by the sight of Raven flying toward the rooftop of the tower.

As the rest of day wound down, Jinx, while with plenty to preoccupy herself with and things to keep her busy, had to consider it a failure. 

"She...hates...my guts..." Jinx sulked as she did the laundry. "I donno. I donno. I donno," Jinx said wistfully, cramming things into the dryer. She kicked the clothes when they began to protest and fall out. She hopped onto the dryer, started it, rested her elbows on her knees and chin in her hands and thought long and hard about the situation she was in.

'I'm a stinking superhero! And for what? To get to close to a girl who hates my guts...Still. I like her voice...and her hair.' Jinx thought, and felt a bubbling warm feeling start in her stomach and make it's way through her blood stream. At the same time, the dryer began to rock violently.

"Cut that out you stupid thing! I'm trying to think," She warned the dryer, "Know where—wa-ahh!" with a hard shake, the dryer relieved itself of Jinx's weight. The door then swung open and released the still mostly wet contents. Jinx got up in a fit, stuffed the cloths back in, reset it, turned on her heel and left.Jinx latter found herself obsessing over the thought of sitting next to Raven on the couch for the movie they were going to view. Cyborg and Beast Boy had just returned and the movie was going to be the last thing most of the teens planned to do before they hit the hay.

'What the hell have I got to lose?' Jinx thought, throwing caution to the wind. She sat down, and then turned to look at Raven. There was no reaction and that damn hood was up again.

"Hey," Jinx decided to try a greeting. Raven just looked at her.

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked lowly. Jinx was taken off guard by the question, as she herself was having difficultly with the truth. Fact was, she didn't really know. This gave her two choices. A lie, or creative exaggeration. Well, she was no good at lying; people just looked at her and knew she wasn't telling the truth when she attempted to fib.

"Just...kinda...figured it would be easier to live this way," Jinx shrugged and looked at the TV.

"That's it?" Raven sounded slightly irritated. At least she was talking to her now; Jinx's thoughts rallied with hope.

"Uh...yeah." Jinx said turning towards Raven.

"This isn't a game Jinx," Raven hissed, sounding absolutely vicious. And she's one of the good guys? "Don't get fickle and flock back to the other side and think I won't make you pay if you endanger my friends in the process."

"Any kind of reward if I don't turn trader?" Jinx tried a joke. Raven's expression didn't change.

"Shhh!" Beat Boy urged both of them. The other Titan's hadn't seemed to be listening.

The next two weeks were more of the same between the two. Jinx had found her place with the other Titans, though she still seemed to lack foresight when performing tactics that involved other Titans. It was rare for Jinx to take out an enemy and not another Titan at the same time. This got Raven in an uproar every time, but no one could prove it was anything more than an accident. Jinx tended to do her best work alone, but in Robin's own words, she didn't "have enough regard for her surroundings and civilians that may or may not be near by." This was remedied for the time being by having some one always monitor her...at a safe distance.

Jinx took no offense to this. In fact, she seemed to take offense to very few things – even a confused group who recognized her as a criminal. Robin tried to smooth things over with them, which didn't take much given the hero's influence on the city's populous and that fact that Jinx hadn't actually been seen by too many committing grand crimes.

Beyond the battlefield, in Jinx's home life with the Titans, she spent most of any given day pulling pranks on Beast Boy with Cyborg as her ally or turning her mischief on Cyborg with Beast Boy as her associate. She was a good sport when they teamed up and repaid her in full. Robin found not much to dislike about the effervescent teen and Starfire seemed to like her as much as she liked anyone. Raven, on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for Jinx to pull a Terra on them and made no effort to conceal this from anyone.

Jinx had developed the habit of admiring Raven from a far. She tried to stay out of her way and not get on her nerves. It didn't seem to lessen the discontent much but she didn't know what else might appease the goth-like girl. She laughed whole heartedly at Raven's tendency to use irony to put another Titan in there place but wasn't sure if Raven actually meant to be funny. Which made it all the more amusing to Jinx.

Having little else to do, Jinx often mulled over every, very little, thing she knew about Raven. Although she didn't seem to like ANYBODY she was protective enough of her teammates, giving her a warning about their safety every other day. So, she had some kind of soft spot for them, but just didn't express it by any traditional means.

Raven, and all of the Titans, didn't seem to like the fact that Jinx viewed upholding justice as "just a job," but she couldn't help it! That was all it looked like. Protecting those that can't protect themselves? Where she came from that's what legs were for! You could always just run away. And that was another thing Jinx realized Raven wouldn't tolerate. If she turned her back on the Titan's she knew Raven would probably summon the devil himself to track her down and to be honest, Raven did scared her a good deal. Again, she is one of the good guys, right?

'It's just funny,' Jinx thought. 'She's funny. Fun to think about. I've never knew anyone that made me think so much about what they do. I haven't seen inside her room since we first meet and I raided it,' Jinx grinned slightly but wished she had paid more attention to what was in there. All she could remember was that it was dark. 'I've never seen her let anyone in there.... but she hates my guts so I probably won't be getting in there anytime soon. I'm hungry. Her cape would look great if I cut off the hood and painted it purple. Sigh.'

Jinx sent her gaze towards the couch where Raven usually sat. It was unoccupied.

'There must something a bad girl like me can do,' she pouted stretching one arm across the dinner table and resting her head on it.


	3. Chapter 3hree

**Pitch and Pink**

(A:N) Normally I'm all about plot and action and drama/romance later. Then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, which means a couple-like relationship will develop between two females. Don't like? Don't waste your time reading it then. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

**Chapter Three

* * *

**

'Jinx. Jinx. Jinx.' Raven fretted. Everybody was just wild about Jinx. Even Robin, the calm reason of the team and usually the only one to possess views similar to her own, was in the bag; an ugly pink and black bag. How could her teammates be so short sighted? This Jinx was not what she seemed! It just didn't make sense for any full-fledged criminal to jump ship. To add to this, Jinx didn't even do a very convincing job of it from Raven's perspective. She had no passion or interest or anything for the people they were supposed to protect.

'Concentrate,' Raven urged herself. The lithe girl's form hovered over the rooftop of the Titan's tower as she chanted. She was having trouble keeping her mind clear. That tended to happen when you worried someone living with you might be attempting to slit the throats of your closest friends in their sleep.

'He means well, but he's making a mistake.' Raven's mind drifted again as she remember well the day Robin allowed Jinx to join. And she never formally protested because she knew exactly what he'd say:

_"Everyone deserves a second chance."_

It was hard to argue with that, but not impossible. He had said the same thing about Tera and look how that turned out. She had betrayed them.

"I won't let that happen again," Raven vowed, her temper bristling. A near by volleyball was enveloped by black magic and instantly destroyed. Damn.

'I must focus,' Raven said, inhaling deeply. Things like that happened when she lost control. Near by objects were crushed or disfigured. 'Focus,' she told herself when her pink haired adversary threatened to pop into her mind again.

* * *

"I'll mimc everything you are to me. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you breathe." the man sang.

"That's stupid," Jinx snorted.

"Obsessions...Obsessing. Obsessing, Obsessions!"

"I am NOT!" she shouted, voice muffled by the pillow resting on her head.

"I don't wanna be everything this god has planned for me!"

The girl's body, between a cover and her mattress, went still.

"I want..." deep and thoughtfully she started, "for ever song on the damn radio to stop making me think about myself, Raven or both of us! Jeeze!" She shouted throwing a pillow at her stereo. The defenseless device fell to the floor and landed on its power button. She rested contently for a moment but was startled by a thought and then rushed for her stereo. That had been a one of her CD's playing on repeat.

* * *

"Yo!" Cyborg called from the kitchen, conjuring the attention of all his teammates, "Whose turn is it to make lunch?"

"I would love to prepare us all something, but I do not believe it is my turn," Starfire announced, hovering near the kitchen.

"I could go again!" Beast Boy suggested.

"Whoah, no!" Cyborg disagreed. "I want something to eat, not something to consider using as fuel for the T-Car."

"Wha? Dude! Then try eating it, instead of analyzing it!" Beast Boy called back. The two began to bicker. Robin contemplated. They had actually missed lunch and for the past couple days due to disturbances in the city by unsavory characters. This was likely why the other Titan's didn't recall whose turn it was. It had been a while since nothing was happening in the city to keep them out around noon. As Beast Boy and Cyborg continued to go at it, Starfire and Robin turned to the other teens that had not yet entered the debate.

"I was going to tell you to not even think about it, but you obviously already have so just say forget it," Raven headed them off without even looking over her book. This left Jinx who was staring back at them blankly, knowing there was a silent conversation going on between the vets but having trouble reading it.

"Oh!" the pink haired girl caught on. "Ok. But I'm warning you guys, I only know how to cook one thing."

For the next ten minutes, the kitchen was inaccessible to the other Titans while Jinx slaved over her chosen dish. She chased the well-meaning Starfire out two times. Even Raven, who innocently strolled in to get a glass of milk was not an exception. Jinx only grinned when the dismal dame glared at her. When it was over, it was served in bowls with no silver ware. One bowl per super-powered teenager.

"Hmm..." Robin murmured examining the contents of his meal.

"Not exactly high in the meat factor," Cyborg commented, looking at his with something akin to apprehension.

"It's Trail Mix!" Jinx hollered cheerfully. Her left hand, full of assorted nuts and crackers and crisps, was then shoved into her mouth.

"This is a most wonderful food!" Starfire said tipping her bowl at an angle high above the table to practically inhale the snack. "These are the pea-nuts yes?" she asked after munching on a mouthful for a moment. "I do prefer to eat them with the shells on."

"Thanks Star." Jinx's face lit up like a streetlight. "I'll remember that next time,"

"There won't be a next time," Raven said, scooting her seat back and standing, "We're all going to die from malnourishment."

"Heh heh." Jinx giggled. "I thought she was going to say I probably poisoned it or something."

"It is poison," Raven said, her back to the group as she headed for her room.

"Well... more for us," Jinx shrugged. Robin ate about half of his to be polite before leaving. Cyborg, although he wanted protein of the meat variety had no trouble scarfing the whole thing down. Beast Boy commended Jinx on her vegetarian dish and took his bowl to eat while watching TV.

* * *

Boom!

With a shock wave propelling her, Jinx's small form was sent hurtling through a jewelry store window.

"Hahahaha! How do you like Johnny Rancid's new baby. The Super Nova Boom Stick!" a maniac on a bike boasted loudly.

"It's nice. We'll take it!" Cyborg said, blasting the loony biker off his motorcycle.

Jinx was having trouble remembering where she was after her fall. She could hear explosions, but they sounded a world away. She shook her head and began the difficult task of getting to her feet. She must have been dizzy; she was covered in stars or something.

"Oh $#!!" Jinx snapped to attention, looking herself over. She was covered in jewels. "Oh! Shiny!" She forgot where she was and wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever. Her outside a perfect match for her inside. She didn't have a mirror but she was sure she must look beautiful right now.

'I wonder if Raven has any jewelry,' Jinx thought while admiring handfuls of rings that she freed from her wild pink hair. 'There is that thing on her head-' like a shot from a Super Nova Boom Stick; realization hit Jinx hard. She was a Titan now. She couldn't steal. She couldn't have the jewelry.

"Ow...man," Jinx hissed, looking longingly at her goods. It was almost painful to start removing the gems, rings, necklaces and bracelets of cooper, gold, and silver. She was breaking every rule she once held dear to her heart. And why?

"I thought as much," a low monotone voice cut deep into the silence Jinx had become use to for the past minute or so. Jinx was startled senseless. She turned around slowly and found none other than Raven staring back at her. She dropped a hand full of rings and her mouth worked to say something but nothing came out.

"This is not what it looks like..." Jinx finally made out, backing into a wall full of damaged safes. Johnny Rancids unintentional handy work.

"Of course it's not. I never was. It looked to my friends like you were a reformer, but this has been you true nature all along!" Raven accused with strong conviction.

That struck a cord somewhere with in Jinx. She was a hard person to tick off as of late but Raven seemed to be doing well enough. Jinx gained control at the last moment when a better idea took hold of her.

"Fine!" she close to roared at Raven. "I'm going to continue doing what I was doing before you showed up and-and you can do what ever you want," and then Jinx did the most frightening thing she could think of. She turned her back on Raven. She was scared to her core, but when no black energy covered her and hurled her straight into a jail cell, she began removing the jewelry and shoving it all back into a safe. Their seemed to had been some kind of order to where they all went, a safe for rings and maybe one for bracelets, but several were ripped apart by Johnny's Super Nova Boom Stick and she wasn't about to impersonate Martha Stewart. Raven had enough reasons to kill her already.

"There," Jinx said, dusting her hands off and turning to face Raven, "No harm done."

Raven's expression hadn't changed in the slightest and Jinx began to wonder if it was really a mask. A clay mask that covered all of her face, except the lifeless blue eyes.

"You can't keep this up forever. I don't know what your aim is but once I have reason enough, I will bring you down," Raven swore.

Jinx made a helpless facial expression then planned her retaliation. First, she grinned.

"Then you'll be watching me until were both old and lose our vision," Jinx let loose. "I'll admit, I did think about taking them for a minute, but I didn't, so..." she trailed off and began to look at the ceiling.

"So...what?" Raven waited for her to finish.

"I forget were I was going with this..." Jinx confessed, her pale cheeks coloring slightly. A split second afterward, another blast that could only come from a Super Nova Boom Stick shattered what was left of the windows and flung Jinx into a nearby wall. She hit it with her skull facing the ground and feet skyward. She slid down to the ground and came to rest as an inanimate heap. Raven checked on her because, enemy or not, she couldn't very well let anyone die if she was able to intervene. Jinx was unconscious.

"Great," Raven sounded. "Well that's one way to end a discussion." She moved Jinx's form into what she hoped was a more comfortable position and then turned her attention back to the battlefield.

"Azerath...Metrion...Zinthos!"

* * *

When Jinx next awoke she found the faces of her new teammates peering down at her with interest and concern. All but Raven and Cyborg.

"What happened?"

"You got bamboozled!" Beast Boy said, slamming one fist onto an open palm for effect.

"This is not a joyous occurrence," Starfire stressed.

"Oh, right. But she's ok, right?" Beast Boy sent his question to Robin.

"She will be. Nothing serious. Just a lump," Robin said, looking at Jinx. "How do you feel?"

"Like I was hit by a Super Nova Bushwacker something or other," Jinx said reaching for the back of her head. She now clearly remembered it smashing into a wall. A hard wall.

"It's a Super Nova Boom Stick!" Beast Boy hollered in correction as if a great crime had been committed. Starfire and Robin each sent him a crossed look. "Just wanted to make sure we all stay authentic..." he said and laughed nervously.

"Did you guys bag that jerk?" Jinx asked them, rubbing her temple.

"Sure did," Robin confirmed.

"You are feeling better, yes?" Starfire asked leaning over Jinx.

"I guess I will be. Can I go to my room, doc?" Jinx asked Robin.

"If you'd feel better there. Sure."

"I will assist you," Starfire said, reaching for Jinx.

"I got it Star," Jinx said swinging her legs to the side of the gurney and removing the white sheet that had been covering her. Standing proved to be a little harder than she anticipated. Starfire quickly caught her arm.

"Do not protest. Let me help you," Starfire ordered with Jinx's best interest in mind. Jinx felt strange being fussed over, and by another teen no less!- but realized she had better give in.

"If you insist," Jinx feigned a scoff.

"I do," Starfire giggled and helped her out of the room and towards the pink haired girls own. Jinx wondered just what Raven's reaction to all this was. This was the first time she had black out during a fight. Did she leave her to the mercy of that loon on the bike? Did she protect her with her own life? Was she worrying herself sick over her well being right at this moment? The latter thoughts seemed improbable. But something had to have happened. What was Raven's reaction and how could she find out what it was?

"So, who picked up my pieces?" Jinx asked, feigning half interest.

"Oh. I believe Beast Boy was first to discover you with Raven. Then I saw you lying near the wall inside the jewelry store. I thought you were...gone to us," Starfire confessed.

"Oh..." Jinx said, finding very little use in that information and wondering how she might learn what she wanted without attracting suspicion. Time was almost up. They neared Jinx's room.

"So it was Raven who got him?" Jinx asked on a whim.

"Yes. She left you to the safety of Beast boy and myself. She said you were in the most comfortable position she could think of,"

Jinx's insides warmed slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes," Starfire said, helping Jinx into her bed; the bottom, though why she wanted a bunk bed she couldn't say. "Good night." Starfire eased the girl into the bed.

"Thanks Star," Jinx found her voice filled with a sincerity she was not use to.

"Think nothing of it," Starfire said, smiling. She turned and left then.

'She's nice...' Jinx thought as she covered herself and pulled her pillow over her head. 'Why didn't I fall for her? Maybe it's cause I'm not really nice.' her thoughts continued to wrestle as she fell asleep.

* * *

Don't own the song Obsessions. Nope. That belongs to Soil. 


	4. Chapter 4our

Normally, I'm all about plot and action, and drama/romance later. Then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, which means that a couple-like relationship will develop between two females. Don't like? Then don't waste your time reading it. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

(A.N.) Sorry if the format has been messed up for the past couple chapters. With my Firefox web browser the 'breaks' I put between scenes are removed, but with internet explorer they remain. I have no idea why.

And thanks for all the reviews! I really do appreciate 'em.

**Chapter Four**

"It's Gizmo and Mammoth," Raven said in a marked manner. With this statement proven true by the screens that showed Jump City, all turned their curious eyes toward Jinx. The pink haired girl only smiled as if they were talking about candy.

"Are you ok with this?" Robin had to know. They were about to engage her former friends in combat.

"I told you already, I rarely get attached to people," Jinx lauded. While the other Titans digested this, Raven held a leery gaze on Jinx.

"If it's so easy for you to drop a group I wonder what you have planed for us," Raven voiced her opinion.

"Hey, I said '_rarely,_' not _never_. You guys are one of my few exceptions," Jinx proclaimed happily.

"That works for me!" Cyborg said – an attempt to keep the conversation somewhat warm.

"We should be so lucky-" Raven started.

"All right," Robin cut her off, "Let's get down there."

"Titans, GO!" Robin ordered his super powered friends on the battlefield of rooftops. Mammoth and Gizmo were fleeing the scene of a science convention; stolen goods tucked under Gizmo's little arm.

"Crud! They got here faster than I thought," Gizmo complained.

"Pleasure to disappoint you." Robin replied.

"Well if it isn't miss Benidick Arnold!" Gizmo snarled at Jinx, "Brother Blood has been irate since you left."

"Well, if that's how it is, don't expect me-" Jinx began, summoning her power, her eyes began to flare pink.

"JINX! NOW!" Gizmo shouted at her. All the Titans turned their attention the latest addition to their roster only to find her in a similarly confused state.

"Made 'ya look losers!" Gizmo laughed, throwing a new and improved flash light bomb at their feet. The world went blindingly white for each of the Titans. When colors and shapes finally did return, they found no trace of Gizmo or Mammoth.

"Unbelievable and unacceptable," Robin fumed an hour later. The teens were still atop the roof and with out a clue as to what Gizmo might be up too or where he went.

"Simple yet effective," Raven added.

"Can we go now?" Jinx whined, "My eyes hurt from looking at nuth'n,"

"I don't think we're going to find anything y'all," Cybord stated. Raven settled for glaring at Jinx. Or she seemed to be. As her expression was usually dry as sand it was hard to be certain.

"What?" Jinx felt defensive. "It's not my fault I'm nice to look at."

"Oh!" Cybord exasperated, slapping his head, "You're starting to sound as bad as Beast Boy." He and Jinx then giggled like children.

"Dude? What's that suppose to mean?" the changeling demanded.

Raven was glaring for sure now. A gust of wind caused her cape to wave in the air for a second. The sky was cloud impaired and everything under the sun was victim to its full power. Anything white or pale was bright and almost harmful to the eyes. Especially after a scientific technology wizard blinded you with a flash grenade.

"Come on Raven!" Jinx said bolding marching up to the dark sorceress. "Why don't you just cuss me out or something? It'd be funny as hell!" the others looked on with worry as the distance between her and Raven vanished. 

"Do NOT make light of my concern about your convictions!" Raven roared suddenly and her black energy frizzled like electricity all over her body. There wasn't a sane creature in range that wasn't scared out of their wits now.

Jinx held a momentarily stunned expression, and then recovered. Finally after letting the girl that caused her to join the Titans in the first place have treat her like less then half a person for so long, she fought back.

"You wouldn't have to be concerned if you'd just trust me!" she fired back. She immediately felt bad after saying that but she didn't know why.

"You have to earn my trust," Raven rang back in a serious but low tone. 

"I've been with on your team for a month!" Jinx yelled, throwing her arms in the air. It felt great to let Raven have it, but equally horrible at the same time. Did that make sense? Was it fair? Should she let Raven treat her so negatively and not say a word? She had already been doing that. She was now in a fierce glaring match with Raven. Crazy! She never wanted this!

Just before Robin finally came between them. Jinx felt something rolling towards the tip of her tongue. It was apology. She wasn't use to uttering such things and hesitated.

"I think that's enough," Robin warned them.

'I think I really screwed up today,' Jinx's thoughts began to whirl like empty soda cans trapped in a tornado.

She knew it was coming. The only thing that surprised her was that it hadn't come sooner.

"Raven? Can we talk?" Robin's voice reached her ears the moment she stepped outside her room.

It had been exactly three hours since her altercation with Jinx. When the team returned home, both combatants fled to their rooms.

"I don't trust her," Raven said, ready and willing to plunge headfirst into the matter.

"It has been four weeks," Robin pointed out.

"Shouldn't have been even that long," Raven said, crossing her arms.

"I know you mean well, but we have to take risks sometimes Raven. If we never give our enemies a chance to give up their line of work, or ever go away, how do you expect to get rid of them?" Robin asked her critically.

"Better locks," Raven said flatly.

"Even if they did stay behind bars, there's always someone else who just can't wait to take their place," Robin explained. Raven didn't respond to this.

"We've got to do everything to discourage follow ups and copy cats. Showing them they can do other things with their powers is one way."

Raven motioned to say something but he continued, "And maybe she will betray us. Maybe pull something worse then Tera did. It's admirable that you're concerned. No one faults you for that, but we can handle her if worse comes to worse Raven."

Raven was silent for several long seconds.

"All right..." she gave in, lowering her hooded head. "But if she raises my suspicion once more, I will be the first in line to take her out."

Robin smirked and said, "You won't have to."

"I screwed up, huh, boss?" Jinx pouted, pulling her knees to her chin as she sat on the bottom bunk. Robin stood in the doorframe of her room. She had time to think about her actions and came to the conclusion that she was probably in the wrong this time, like many other times in her life before the Titans.

"Hmm ... No. Not really. I can see you want to earn her respect in your own way, but just take it easy, ok? Getting into a sparring match with her will just give you both a trip to the hospital."

"More like me in a coffin and her in a recliner," Jinx mumbled.

"I don't like the sound of either scenario," Robin told her. She looked up at him quizzically. This "touchy, feely, there for each other crap" wasn't anything she had much experience with. So far, it wasn't as bad as she imaged. At least they weren't hugging or nothing and she had to admit, she was relieved he wasn't too upset with her. She really did want Raven's respect.

'So now I have name for what's wrong with me?' Jinx thought liking this word 'respect.' Could she really narrow her feelings down to just respect? So far it was easier than admitting she had feelings for another girl, even if this wasn't the first time. 'I'm a repeat offender and a...a...'

"Just be patient. I know she'll come around," Robin said and departed.

Jinx watched him for a moment then called to him, "Thanks boss!" Robin paused and tried to beat back the smirk and remain indifferent to the title she insisted on using. Glad she couldn't see his face, he nodded and walked out. Her giggling told him he had failed.

'Hmm...' Jinx thought. Could she really can her obsession and call it respect? 'Stupid! What does a criminal need with respect? I came here because I respect the way she always kicks my $$ and throws me in jail,' Jinx thought lying on her side. 'Yeah, right. That still doesn't explain her always being on my mind. I'm a whatch ma' call it!' she cried pulling her pillow over her head.

Starfire was reminded of a flamingo as she watched Jinx perform her stretches. The light of the brand new day framed her as she stood before the large glass wall in the middle of the room. Jinx stood with the bottom of one foot facing the ceiling, the other was flat on the ground. She was doing the splits standing up. With a hop she effortlessly traded one for the other. She then turned on the ball of her grounded foot until she faced the back of the room; she brought it down her raised leg in a swift kick that passed her sedentary foot. It came to rest pointing at the TV in the front of the room. The girl herself now too was the shape of the tower she lived in.

"What's up Starfire?" Jinx asked the Tamaranion who had been silently observing her for a full three minutes.

Starfire grinned from ear to ear, seeming from simply hearing her name. Sweet was defiantly the best word in Jinx's vocabulary to describe the alien. Sweet to the point that Jinx was surprised the girl didn't make herself sick. Jinx was amazed she got along so well with this often times naive, peppy and credulous girl. She was sure she wouldn't if they where in a more natural environment. Say, normal teenagers attending public school. She imaged she be too negative to get along with "girly-girls" and pick on her peers to pass the time and probably cover her own insecurities. Hey, that was what she used to do and it wasn't that long ago!

'Man I feel old. I wonder if I'm losing my edge. I'm all tame here and crap...like a spayed kitty,' Jinx reflected.

"Beast Boy, Robin, and I will be journeying to the mall-of-many-markets and wondered if you would like to come," Starfire said, a flawless smile still pasted to her orange face.

"Um...That's ok. I already went there with Cyborg yesterday, and two other times this week," Jinx said, sounding uninterested. Besides, she had no money. Nearly her entire cut of the Titans allowance, given to them by the city, went back to the city to repair damage she had done during her criminal days.

"Very well. Perhaps latter you and I can perform braiding maneuvers on each other hair again?" Starfire suggested.

"If you want," Jinx said, now more interested in the universal remote on the coffee table. Starfire grinned pertly as Jinx reached for the remote and used it to navigate through the sixty CDs stored in the large stereo system hooked up to the big screen TV. A couple of hers were in there somewhere.

"We shall see you 'later dayz' as Beast boy would say!" Starfire said, and then left. Jinx thought to correct but didn't.

"The hell with English grammar," Jinx snickered, "Starfire's got the right idea."

It took her a couple minutes, but finally Jinx had one of her own CD's, filling the living area with heavy guitar rifts and strained vocals. As she turned to go back to her stretching near the window she bumped into a solid figure that wasn't there a minute ago.

"Ah!" She yelped. Her heart didn't slow down much when she realized it was Raven. Raven said something, but Jinx couldn't hear her over her own music. When both realized this Jinx grinned impishly. Raven growled and lowered the volume until the room was  
silent again.

"Music should be relaxing and have few if any words," Raven said dryly.

"What if someone doesn't want to relax?" Jinx quizzed.

"They should live alone on a deserted island," Raven said more to herself still looking at the stereo. Jinx studied the girl before her for a moment. This sounded more like a realization on Raven's part.

"Orrrrrrrr... you could just kill everyone and make everything quite here," Jinx suggested. Raven looked at her, expression as plain as paper. Then, astonishingly, a smirk developed. The eerie sight caused Jinx to blink several times.

"So...you want something?" Jinx asked, unconsciously playing with her fingers. Raven turned her piercing blue eyes to look into Jinx's usually hard pink ones. They were soft and fleety now. The ex-criminal flinched and stepped back. "W-what is it?"

"Nothing," Raven said, "I just wanted to see something."

"Oh," Jinx said flatly, sounding a little disappointed that Raven's interest died away so easily.

Raven couldn't make sense of her. All she had to go on was her logical belief that villains never truly reformed, but here was one standing in her living room threatening to replace Beast Boy as the most annoying person on the team. She had ample time to pull something and yet, she had not. She had no passion for her work, not the kind of passion she thought a hero should have, but she still did as she was told. Every time. It didn't add up and yet...Maybe Robin was right. At least if she let her guard down she wouldn't go paranoid with the waiting.

"You are an anomaly," Raven said as she drifted back over to the couch. Feeling the weight of her intentions fall from her shoulders like cement bricks. She felt somewhat relaxed already. It even showed as she flopped down on the "U" shaped couch.

"I am? Um. Thanks..." Jinx said, revealing she either didn't know the meaning of the word, what Raven meant by it, or both.

Raven's gaze fell on her again. She didn't really understand her, but come to think of it, she didn't really understand Beast Boy and his zany obsessions. Thinking hard on it, she didn't understand most of her friends to some degree in one way or another. What's one more?

Jinx was bewildered by Raven's drastic change in nature. She just stood there not knowing exactly what to do. Finally she decided to make conversation and see what happened.

"I think there's an song on here with no singing," Jinx said pointing at the oversized stereo system with the remote, "Wanna here it?"

"Sure. But I probably won't like it and tune it out," Raven warned her. It was an instrumental and did have words, but they weren't sung, they were spoken. The voice sounded like a narrator from an old black and white movie which suited the title "Vampires" well.

"Few creatures of the night have captured our imagination like vampires. What explains our enduring fascination with vampires?"

"I don't like vampires," Raven revealed, "They're overdone," She paused as the voice continued. Jinx had to agree but didn't want to risk sounding like a groupie by agreeing with everything Raven said.

"What is it about the vampire myth that explains our interest? Is it the overtones of sexual lust? Power? Control? Or is our fascination with the immortality of the undead? What dark and hidden parts of our psyche are aroused and captivated by legends of the undead...The legends...of the undead."

"Hmm." Raven made the sound as if about to chuckle, she didn't.

"The mystery of the undead will continue to fascinate the living."

The song was nothing but drums and guitar rifts and the occasionally the narrator would repeat himself. Finally it ended. Jinx was silent then just standing there in deep thought.

"What's wrong with you?" Raven asked her, "Besides the obvious?"

"Obvious?" Jinx began to whine, knowing that was a joke, but then felt her confusion become paramount. "Just wondering when you took me off your hit list..." she trailed off not knowing how else to put it...She had a winsome voice that went with her winsome face, but was never really a winsome person.

"About ten minutes ago," Raven told her, un-phased by Jinx's parlance.

"Robin and I had a talk," She said in a finite tone, as if that was all she needed to say, and this _was_ Raven, so that probably was all she need to say.

"Oh," Jinx said trying the gauge the merit of this "talk." Robin was the leader and there for the lucky guy who had to keep the team together.

"So Robin said you have to like me or he'll kick you off the team?" Jinx rationalized. Raven face showed a slightly irritated expression, but not nearly as murderous as usual.

"Something along those lines," Raven stated, showing that she wouldn't let the volatile teen get to her as much anymore. Jinx would have to work harder from now on to get Raven's goat.

Jinx felt elated inside. This was really looking up. The ice queen was melting a little! Now what?

"Great. Let's shake on this," Jinx said extending her hand to Raven.

"Why?" Raven asked looking at the hand that was nearly as pale as her own skin. She could only see the back of it.

Jinx frowned, but was feeling to good to feel upset.

"Aw! You found me out," Jinx said turning over her hand. A gag electric ring was displayed. "Love the classics."

"Don't try anything like that again," Raven warned her.

"I thought you just said we were friends," Jinx said crossing her arms. Inside she could hardly believe she got to say these sort of things.

"If you want it to stay that way don't bring me to the point where I have to kill you," Raven said raising her hood till it's shadow covered most of her face, standing and leaving.

When Raven left, Jinx did a cartwheel to the TV and stereo system and turned it up full volume.

I don't own the song 'Vampires'. That belongs to Godsmack.


	5. Chapter 5ive

**Pitch and Pink**

.....………..

Normally, I'm all about plot and action, and drama/romance later. Then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, which means that a couple-like relationship will develop between two females. Don't like? Then don't waste your time reading it. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

(A.N.) I've added little notes about where and when the scenes start. Since this is character driven, it sort of just jumps about and I thought this might make things easier.  
.....………..  
**Chapter Five**

_Hours later from last scene._

"And now ladies, animals, and gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for! The thrill of the week: the Titan's Raffle!" Cyborg bellowed like a sports event announcer. He gestured to the center of the living room with both hands. There, a top hat rested on the coffee table. "Oh yeah! Shall we start?"

"Sometime before we die of old age would be nice," Raven said. Cyborg frowned at her comment, but then brushed it off.

"Ok. Who wants to go first?" Cyborg asked the group. Starfire shot forward to oblige.

"Ok, little lady. Take your pick," Cyborg instructed. Starfire stuck her hand in the hat and felt around for a couple seconds. She pulled out a card and handed it to Cyborg.

"Dishes and living room," Cyborg read the card. Starfire cheered. Beast Boy and Robin applauded for no particular reason at all. Chore assignment wasn't really a pleasant event so the super powered teenagers thought they might as well spice it up with a raffle.

"Next?" Cyborg asked. He had a scary grin as if there was snake in the hat that only he knew about.

"I'm going," Jinx said, looking determined, "I don't want to be last."

She moved over to the hat and swished the cards around for several long minutes. Growing impatient, Beast Boy demanded she hurry up. Grinning, she pulled out a card and handed it to Cyborg.

"Hmm...Oh this...this looks bad. No. This won't do at all," Cyborg said grimly.

"What is it?" Jinx sniffed carelessly, knowing he was teasing her.

"Laundry duty!" he hollered, smiling like a fool.

"It can't be!" Jinx puffed, snatching the card from him and looking it over. Sure enough, 'laundry' was writen on it. She became nearly as a pale in the face as Raven.

"This is the second week in a row! You guys can't make me do it again. I'm scared of the dryer! It took sumo lessons from Cyborg."

"Hey now-" Cyborg began to interject.

"It did! Whenever I put clothes in it, it starts walking! One foot at a time and aggressively!" Jinx said setting her feet far apart, squatting and imitating a Japanese athlete at least ten times her weight. Beast Boy and Cyborg went into a pleat.

"This thing must be rigged," Jinx said, gaining a suspicious look and training it on the half machine and the animal boy.

"Or jinxed," Raven commented dryly.

"I swear! I only wish I would have thought of doing something like that!" Beast Boy cried between fits of laughter.

"It's wrong!" Jinx protested.

"You doubt the hat?" Cyborg asked, grabbing the hat, "The hat is never wrong! It knows the future of us all! OWhahahahahu-ha!" Jinx tried to snatch it from him but he thwarted her by simply raising it above his head.

"Ok. Put it back into the hat and draw another card," Robin finally said.

"Thanks boss!" Jinx beamed at Robin.

When it was all over, it was revealed that for the next seven days Starfire would do the dishes and clean the living room, Beast Boy would be in charge of security, Raven would do the shopping, Cyborg would do the laundry, Jinx would maintain the training courses and halls, and Robin would clean the bathrooms and everything else.

This was the same day in which Raven declared a truce between her self and Jinx. Jinx awaited the tidal wave of changes but none came. The only noticeable difference was that Raven wasn't staring at her as much. In fact she seemed to be paying less attention to her now. But it was only one day and a half-complete one at that. Jinx retired to her room and hoped for something more from tomorrow.

_Next morning._

Jinx paced in the living room behind the black half-a-circle shaped couch exactly two hours and fourteen minutes after breakfast. Raven hadn't shown up.

"What's she doing?" Jinx asked aloud.

"She does this all the time," Cyborg responded. He only gave her qualm half his attention; the other half was invested in the game he was playing with Beast Boy, which was probably easy for a half-robot, Jinx imagined. He had a point, however. There had been plenty of mornings in which Raven did not show up for breakfast. In fact, there were days that went by in which no one would see her.

"I'm going to go see what she's doing."

"Your funeral," Beast Boy called after her.

Jinx turned the corner and proceeded to Raven's room. Her insides felt hollow as she thought about the upcoming encounter. What would be her reason for disturbing the peace of the dark beauty?

'Well, what's the truth?' Jinx asked herself. 'We made a truce and I haven't seen her since! Could it have been some kind of trick to see if I'd act out? Hmm, well... If it is, it'll be too easy to disappoint her. I doubt it is though.'

"Raven?" she called the girl after knocking. Her heart rate doubled as she waited for a response. The door slid to the left just enough to reveal half of Raven's hooded head.

"What?" Raven asked in tone more suitable for someone six times her real age.

"Um...I haven't seen you around lately," Jinx harped.

"Well, you see me now don't you?" Raven pointed out.

"That's funny," Jinx told her.

"Super," Raven said sarcastically.

"Well, you want to do something?" Jinx asked, heart rate thundering in her ears. Why did this damn girl have this effect on her?

"With you? Nothing personal, but I prefer to be alone," Raven told her.

"Oh, well that's ok."

"Right. Bye." Raven said, and then the door slid shut.

Jinx frowned at the door. It was quite a discouraging barrier.

'I won't give up that easily!' Jinx rallied her courage.

"Jinx!" Cyborg's voice rang all though out the tower, "It's your turn."

"Hmm ... might as well make it two for two," Jinx said, proceeding to the living area for the thrashing she was sure to receive at the hands of the guys. No mater how hard she tried she just couldn't beat either of them at even one round of Soul Caliber 2.

_Next day. Afternoon._

Smithe Jarard Yager wiped his brow with a turkey sized, hairy forearm. His middle aged, black bearded face looked from right to left, scouting for customers. It was a warm day in Jump City National Park. This didn't bother Smithe. He sniffed and crossed his arms over an apron covered, barrel shaped midsection.

Not too much latter a pink haired youth happened upon his stand. She was dressed in a bizarre black outfit with purple and black striped socks.

"Kids these days," Smithe scoffed.

"Oh! Just what I need!" Jinx said, ogling the freezer before the man.

"And your money is all I need," Smithe said brashly. Jinx raised an brow at his comment. She may have never worked a real job in her life, but even she knew such manners could drive away customers. Shrugging this off, she reached in her pocket to gather some change. She was short.

"Hey buddy," Jinx said, gaining a coy smile. "How's about one on the house?"

"Now how many kids do you think ask me that within an hour?" he snapped, black eyes holding only the warmth of anger.

"But I'm a Teen Titan!"

"Like I haven't heard that one before."

"The other kids ever show you this?" Jinx asked, proudly displaying her Titan's badge and communicator. The man studied it intently and then Jinx's smug face.

"So you're that new girl who usually does more damage to the city then the actual enemy?" he asked her.

Jinx's bright features washed away. Dismay became her visage.

"Look girl," Smithe said, lightly chopping the table as if his following explanation was packaged meat, "This may look like just a couple sugary sweets—what's one under the table? Who will notice?—but this is my business and my life! Now pay or go away!"

"But I saved the world!" Jinx erupted. She couldn't believe the level of disrespect she was receiving.

"Yeah? From who?"

"Uh...Doctor Doom!" Jinx said quickly.

"Never heard of him. You just made him up," Smithe said, shaking his head.

"How the hell would you know?" Jinx growled, tempted to regress back into her old nature. The nerve of this civilian! So what if she was lying somewhat?

"I happen to watch the news. As long as my taxes pay for you to show boat with those other kids and live in an oversized, gaudy letter 'T' shaped building, I figure I should keep an eye on what I'm paying for. And if I'm not pleased, you can be sure that I'll be one of the first to let you know!"

"Harsh," Jinx said under her breathe.

"Well, we saved the world from..." Jinx tailed as her mind scrambled for a name. The 'entire world' had yet to be in danger on her watch. She had only gone up against random offenders and bank robbers with her teammates. She would not let this bad timing, however, stop her from getting free ice-cream. "Galactus!" A name came to her.

Smithe closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Thor? Captain Marvel? The Silver Surfer!" Jinx rambled, "Dude, just gimme some ice cream!"

"What's going on here?" Raven's voice came from somewhere behind her.

"Raven?" Jinx panicked, "Oh, we were just talking about the weather. Cyborg and the others are near the fountains right? Well, let's get going," She talked fast and moved away from the vender she had just been harassing as quickly as possible.

"She bother you?" Raven asked the man.

"We're alright," Smithe said easily, "Wanted free ice cream though."

"The pest," Raven said with a smirk.

'Damn! Why'd that guy have to be such a jerk?' Jinx wondered hunching down near a tree. The other Titan's could bee seen playing football in the distance. 'And what was he rambling on about? Made me feel like I was in an economics class or something.' If she weren't making payments to the city, hundreds of dollars a week, she wouldn't have had to go through all that. What little money she did have she always blew on necessities. Or at least what Jinx considered necessities. CDs, creepy key chains, amusing bumper stickers. The things a young ex-super criminal couldn't live without.

Jinx looked long and thoughtful into nothing. If she were still with the Hive she could have just kicked that guy and took all his ice cream! She sometimes wondered what she was doing on the other side.

"Will you take this before it melts?" an impatient voice broke her concentration. She was startled and looked to its source. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was a hoodless Raven and ice cream.

"Let that be a lesson to you. If you'd exercise better spending habits you wouldn't find your self weighing the worth of a civilians life and nasty cold food," Raven scolded her the way only Raven could. She handed Jinx the ice cream and walked away. Heading off to read under a tree no doubt. It was a wonder how Robin even got her to come out with them today.

'Oh...That's why I'm here..." Jinx said watching her go. 'I'm so whipped.'

_Several days latter._

There are some people who don't need to speak every thought that comes to mind; some who can just exist among others and are accepted. Raven was the kind of person who was content to say what she strongly felt needed to be said and then nothing at all for hours at a time. Days even. Then there were people who just couldn't shut up.

"And I use to have a crush on him," Jinx said, gazing at the ceiling. She was lying on the couch in the largest room of the Titan's Tower. Raven sat next to her—not by choice!—trying to concentrate on her book.

"Aren't you going to ask me who?" Jinx asked, looking up at the book that hid Raven's face.

"No," came the barley audible response.

"The Joker!" Jinx answered, unhinged by Raven's rebuff. Raven actually shuddered

"Yeah? Don't tell Robin that."

'I liked his girlfriend too,' Jinx thought to herself dreading Raven's reaction to such a confession. "You're doing it again," Jinx pointed out.

"Doing what?" Raven asked with sigh.

"Talking to me," Jinx said wistfully.

Raven didn't want to admit it, but she was right. It was happening an awful lot too. Raven almost wished she wasn't growing stronger. She didn't need to meditate as much as she used too and it gave her way too much free time. Free time that almost always ended up being spent with the wild haired volatile loon beside her now.

"This is the part where you tell me about your first boyfriend..." Jinx sang.

"Not interested," Raven said with no noticeable change in her voice.

"I used to think," Jinx shied away from the previous subject just as quickly as she stumbled onto it, "'Look at me. I'll be going up against the Teen Titans someday! Led by Robin, half of the Jokers worst enemy. Pretty stupid, huh?'"

"Yep." Raven said, and then mentally kicked herself. She was talking again and about nothing too! Well, maybe not exactly nothing, but it wasn't very riveting either. She was already well aware that Jinx was once indecorous. Not that she still wasn't at times.

"Your friends are more supportive when I trash myself," Jinx faked a fret.

"Well, someone has to be realistic around here," Raven said, and then mentally hissed at the page. She had been reading this same paragraph for fifteen minutes.

'Ignore her. Ignore her. Ignore her.' Raven couched herself and found herself contemplating her mood. She wasn't actually too upset about the constant interruptions. 'Must be my powers. I have more control now,' she figured. She could now go almost two days without meditation. Not that she would actually try to. No point taking large scale risks. She could simply feel herself getting better.

"Wanna go to the mall?"

"No."

"Play some video games?"

"No."

"Chess?"

"No."

"Make Pizza?"

"No?"

"Say no to everything I say?"

Raven was silent for a moment and then said, "No."

"Well, then," Jinx became interested, turning over to sit on her heels, feet still on the couch, "That means you want to do something. I just have to figure out what."

"No," Raven said.

"What?" Jinx's lips parted in a disbelieving 'O.' Raven found herself smirking at the sight of her. She made sure Jinx didn't see this though, she didn't want to encourage her.

"I said I don't want to say 'no' to everything you say," Raven corrected her. "I will say 'yes' if you offer to stop bugging me. Disappear. Go bug Cyborg. Go-"

"Ok! I get it!" Jinx said covering her ears. The girl finally lifted her body from the couch. "But when I bug them I'm telling them you sent me."

"Fine with me," Raven said a grin developing for reasons she couldn't entirely place.

Jinx left, not to crest fallen. She had been bothering Raven for a long time now and needed a break, but of course she'd be back.

Raven put her book down and watched as the girl disappeared around a corner. She felt a strange kinship for the girl. Unexpected. She had been so dead set on killing her not too long ago. She was so sure she was a spy of some sort. But now it turned out she was just...silly. And actually kind of amusing. Raven rarely found people amusing. Foolish, stupid, immature and countless other things others things, yes, but rarely amusing. She never sought out Jinx's company, but always got it anyway and to her mild surprise it wasn't so bad.

Oddly, Raven felt she had more in common with the former criminal then her other friends. Jinx's sometimes perverse mannerisms often gave her insight and a humor that complemented Raven's own dark satire. Jinx was one of the few who ever countered Raven in a sarcastic verbal battle. Raven almost always got the final word of course and Jinx never took it personally. Their tastes in clothes were similar and while Raven had a short list of pleasures, Jinx's own extensive list had something similar to most of them if not the same. Both liked dark unique clothing and trinkets. Jinx favored horror flicks as much as Raven and though she probably wouldn't understand any of it, Raven knew she could appreciate dark poetry. Yes it seemed Raven had a friend. A close friend, but she wasn't fully giving into the relationship.

'Call me nostalgic, but I think I'll keep my distance,' the dark haired teen thought. The images of her and Jinx attending a café did enter her mind and seemed harmless enough. Maybe they could go stare at the stars or something. She could actually conjure up a lot more comments to Jinx's more serious thoughts but hadn't in previous conversations in an attempt to ward the girl off. But challenging these ideas was Raven's stubborn desire for things to stay as they were. She had grown use to being alone.

'I'm not a big fan of change,' Raven admitted to herself. She let the matter rest for now and picked up her book.  
...............................


	6. Chapter 6ix

**Pitch and Pink**

Normally I'm all about plot and action and drama/romance later. But then I wrote a Teen Titans fic. This is a character driven story I guess... It is also a Yuri fic, which means that a couple-like relationship will develop between two females. Don't like? Then don't waste your time reading it. Flames get you-know-where fast with me. Criticism is welcome! Don't hold back.

...

**Chapter Six**

For almost two days the Titan's tower had been silent except for the humming of the security system. Absent were its occupants, who had been trapped in one of Mad Mod's alternate realties. It was only after finally bringing the renegade British subject to justice once again that the teens finally returned home.

"I have a new found respect for that guy's style" Jinx said lazily as she dragged herself towards the oh-so-comfortable looking couch. She didn't make it. Instead she collapsed on the floor and decided she didn't want to move again for a long time.

"I'm in so much pain that I think my sensors are overloaded and not even sending me most of it anymore" Cyborg complained, next to breach their home. Behind him came Starfire and Raven, also looking worn out.

"Let us hope we never have to do that again" Starfire mumbled, exasperated. She gave her weight to a chair next to the kitchen.

"Better locks..." Raven muttered.

"What"

"Forget it" Raven said"I need a bath"

Jinx rolled over so her face rested on the carpet, hiding a grin that resulted from the images Raven's confession inspired in her mind. 'I'm a bad person. I'm a bad person,' she told herself, 'but damn it, I don't care!'

"See you all in the morning. Good night" Robin said, yawning, passing them all and heading for his own room. 

"Wait boss" Jinx called for him, still sprawled out on the floor.

"Yeah" Robin called over his shoulder.

"Did we save the world yet" Jinx asked him.

"Um...No." Robin said, after a moment of thinking it over. Mod had only been trying to gain a monopoly on British candy sold in America by scaring off all competition. No direct threat to the populous on a global scale, but at least the candy vendors were safe now.

"Man, I'm never going to get any free ice cream..." Jinx muttered, drawing circles with her finger on the floor.

"Jinx" Beast Boy said, standing over her"Everybody's gone to bed. Are you going to stay down there"

"Carry me" she offered.

_Following afternoon_

Elbows on the table and chin resting on interlaced fingers, Jinx stared across the small round table at the spine of Raven's book as if she could read the words on the other side.

"What are you reading" Jinx asked Raven.

"I don't know" Raven said un-conversationally.

"Then why are you reading it"

"To find out" Raven told her.

"That's funny" said Jinx, smiling.

"Super."

"Man" Jinx finished. Raven put down her book and gave her quizzical look.

"I know, I know. Stupid joke" Jinx said, looking away for a second"Hey! You know the one about the raven"

"The one about the raven" Raven asked, registering the point that there were probably about as many stories about ravens as there were clouds in the sky.

"Yeah..." Jinx started, trying to remember specifics. She was never the bookish type. "Where it keeps going 'Nevermore. Quote the Raven nevermore.' Or something like that"

"Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe" Raven asked. Jinx looked at her blankly.

"I donno who wrote it. I'm not even sure how it goes" Jinx admitted.

"Then why are you bothering me about it"

"Cause I like to bother you" Jinx exclaimed. "So, you have that story"

"It's a poem and yes, I do" Raven said, picking up her book to read it. Jinx looked at the back of it for moment wondering what to say.

"So you gonna give it to me or what"

"It's on its way" Raven said. Sure enough, a book floated into the room seemingly on its own. It dropped before Jinx. It was titled "Great Short Works of Edgar Alan Poe."

"Wow Raven! Why don't you use those powers for the benefit of the team when we can't find the remote" Jinx asked her.

"Because I don't need to help you guys get any lazier" Raven quipped.

Jinx quickly flipped to the table of contents and found the page number for the poem "Raven." For the life of her she couldn't remember where she had heard any part of it before and she knew she was only interested in it now because it was something she could talk about with Raven. She read it a couple times and snickered. She was surprised she could make sense of it. Last time she attended school she would have cut off her hands before she'd try anything that involved deep thought; especially if she thought it was something she'd never have use for.

"Well, what did you think" Raven asked.

"'Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! Quit the bust above my door!' It's cute. They should put it on a bumper sticker" Jinx said standing and closing the book.

Raven held the quizzical look again.

"A bumper sticker? You want a literary genius to be put on a bumper when you don't even have a car"

"I will one day" Jinx said.

"Not if the department of motor vehicles has any sense, you won't" Raven said.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of your mouth" Jinx admitted with deep admiration sinking into her words. It also showed in her eyes. She realized she slipped a second too late. For once, Raven didn't have a response.

"Think I'll go get some exercise" Jinx said quickly. Hopefully, Jinx thought, Raven would take that as sarcasm and nothing more. 'Nothing more. Nothing more. For evermore!' Jinx pleaded. Looking at the book, she had an idea for a change in subject. "Unless you want me to put this away for you, first" she said, a sly grin gracing her face. This would of course giver her access to Raven's room.

"Leave it there. I'll take care of it" Raven said without looking up at her friend. Mentally sighing with relief Jinx moved on.

"Dude that is such a cheap move! How is my character ever going to have kids if you keep doing that" Beast Boy was complaining, game controller in hand. 

"Not my weak spot. Not my problem" Cyborg cheered. Their bickering stopped when they noticed someone's shadow crawl over them. Looking to the source they found Jinx.

"Hello boys" Jinx greeted, with a grin that bared both rows of teeth. "Who wants to help me work off some frustration"

They just looked at her blankly. Not bothered by their lack of enthusiasm, Jinx launched from the floor as if it were a diving board at them. Cyborg rolled out of the way but she caught Beast Boy and put him in a headlock. She rubbed her knuckles against his head fiercely until Cyborg threw himself at her in an attempt to save him. She moved just in time. Beast Boy was not so lucky.

"Sorry B" Cyborg apologized, crawling off his friend.

"When there's trouble you know who to call" Jinx cried as she shot herself from the couch like an arrow and plowed into Cyborg, knocking him to the ground. Quicker than he could process, she had him in a headlock. It didn't last long. He was soon up and easily removed her. He held her at arms length by the back of her top like a mother holding a kitten.

"Meow" 

"What's gotten into you" Cyborg asked her. 

Placing her feet together Jinx swung back and then sent them into Cyborg's chest. He sailed across the living room as a result. 

"I got her" Beast Boy cried as she landed on her feet. He charged her in the form of a green goat. She twirled away from him and he hit the table.

"Torro" Jinx cried. Soon the three were in a big playful brawl.

"What am I doing here" Raven asked herself out loud. She looked across the parking lot at the formidable structure that took up the entire horizon.

"Spending time with your best friend" Jinx said, grinning as they walked toward it.

"Don't remember giving that title out..." Raven said flatly.

"You're so bad" Jinx commented.

"I don't like this place. At least half the people who come here are snobbish and unreal just because they have more money to spend on nothing than others" Raven pointed out.

"So let's hang out with the other half then" Jinx suggested. "And what do you mean by 'unreal' person, anyway"

"Those filled with too much materialistic value"

"Out of the parking lot losers" a pretty blond shouted at them from behind the wheel of what a must have been a brand knew PT Cruiser. "Halloween was canceled"

"-And people like them" Raven muttered, not even looking in their direction as they speed past. Jinx glared at them. She followed them with her eyes to see them park near the entrance to the mall.

"The nerve" Jinx was shaking with anger. "Let's jump 'em Ravy"

"Leave them alone" Raven urged her"We are heroes. We save them from danger, but can do nothing for arrogance."

"But"

"And don't call me Ravy."

"-we can't let them get away with that" Jinx exclaimed.

"We can. And we will" Raven said, stopping and looking at Jinx with authority. Jinx frowned. They walked along in silence until they neared the car carrying the offenders. The leader turned down the volume on the stereo and watched Jinx and Raven from behind her sunglasses. Raven paid no attention, but Jinx stared back silently until she couldn't take it.

"You should park in back and try to walk off some of that extra weight sister" Jinx shouted.

"Stupid Goth b+ch" one screamed at them as they disappeared into the entrance. The leader, to flustered to think of anything clever, just displayed a hand with only one finger raised.

"We're not Goths" Raven bubbled with annoyance. "I can't believe you did that. I told you not too."

"Gee, I sowwy mama" Jinx said, looking at the ground and pretending to be ashamed. She was nearly choking on a fit of laughter.

"You—! I don't know what to call you..." Raven said, walking away. Jinx ran after her, arms spread wide like a plane until she caught up.

"So, what do you want to do first" Jinx asked her unwilling companion.

"Go home" Raven asked her.

"Come on Ravy! If you really wanted to leave you wouldn't have even come in the first place" Jinx said guiding her friend to into a corner. Raven paused and seemed to be thinking about this. She didn't have much time because Jinx shoved her into a booth.

"Picture time" Jinx cheered"Hope that's your Sunday best."

"Pic" Raven started as she sat up in the booth. Jinx hugged her with one arm, smiled and then...

Flash!

Raven looked at Jinx and there was another flash.

'Dammint,' Raven thought looking at the camera. Another flash struck her deep blue irises. Jinx held up a hand with her index, pinky and thumb extended. This, she had told Raven, was the symbol for Metal. 'She just shoved me into a booth and how do I react? I oughta toss her out on her rear and make no attempt to avoid stepping on her,' Raven thought. Another flash and Jinx was displaying the peace sign. 'But I won't,' Raven sighed.

Jinx practically dragged Raven out and forced her to view the pictures that developed on a long card.

"Oh! We look so good. I mean I always look good. This is precious"

"It's...us." was Raven's only comment. She saw an overtly happy Jinx in each pic and images of herself looking disoriented. As if the pictures were taken while she were going through a maze of some sort; a reflection of her understanding of her new friend probably.

The girls ran—well Raven had to be forced—off to assault the mall patrons with their unique presence. It lasted hours and Jinx couldn't have enjoyed herself more. Raven did too but did her best to avoid admitting it by telling half-truths. Being with Raven made Jinx elated in a way she had never felt. She wanted to run endlessly in any direction. She felt as light as paper, as if the wind could carry her away at any minute. Every cell of her being was ecstatic and warm. She wanted to sing, to dance, to steal even. Stealing had once been the greatest sense of satisfaction. It wasn't the item, it was getting away with it that made it so addicting.

Jinx paused in her tracking to look at a dress display protected by a glass barrier. It wasn't anything she'd actually wear, but it was expensive looking. She searched her self and found the urge to take things with out paying did still exist. The desire to steal was there but it was very tame. It was dwarfed by her desire to be with the dark haired, pitch featured beauty with her now.

"What are you thinking about" Raven interrupted.

"Um..." Jinx trailed her eyes away, starring at everywhere but the display.

"I could just read your mind you know" Raven said with out batting an eye. Jinx looked dismayed.

"Y-you...couldn't. You wouldn't" Jinx was flooded with images of her biggest secrets and the trouble they would get her into. Raven actually chuckled at her expense.

"Sounds like someone still has secrets..." Raven said, walking ahead of her. Jinx watched her for a moment before realizing she was joking. 

They walked along in silence for a moment. Jinx could almost feel Raven writhing in her amusement and let her have it. Jinx herself had been attacked by a serious thought.

"Doesn't everybody have secrets" Jinx asked suddenly.

"I suppose..." Raven said a little distantly.

"I thought so" Jinx said, as if she had scored a point. They rounded a corner. Neither knew exactly where they were going but that didn't stop them.

"Wouldn't imagine you have many left. You've rambled on about most of you life to me already. Born in India to an American gangster and a sorceress"

"You were listening" Jinx said, growing interested and even feeling complemented.

"I may have retained some of it subconsciously and involuntarily..." Raven scoffed.

"Well" Jinx said as they exited the mall an hour later. The stringy handles of several shopping bags hung from her arms and she had an over sized sucker in her hand.

"What do you want now" Raven asked as if she were really annoyed; she only wished she was.

"You to confess" Jinx said grinning.

"I don't see a jury" Raven replied. Jinx laughed.

"How long can you keep this up"

"You'd be surprised." Raven said, looking away. Unlike Jinx, she left the mall only with what she went in. Save maybe a stronger bond with the crazy ex-super criminal. Yes! Crazy! That was the word she was looking for earlier. She wondered how it had escaped her perfect diction. The word was such a simple and apt description. Raven meant from-another-planet kinda crazy and she knew someone from another planet. On second thought, that didn't even compare. Where had this strange person come from? And why...

'Hmph. Didn't she show up sooner"' Raven gave up. Liking Jinx was just too difficult. She didn't know how much of herself she was ready to share but she figured she'd start right now.

"Well, I'm spent. Let's go home" Jinx said, yawning and walking towards the Titan's Jeep. A vehicle Cyborg purchased just to thwart the other Titan's desire to use his precious T-Car.

Raven's lips turned into a slight frown that only lasted an instant. She was merely reacting to the timing. It was comical in essence but Jinx caught it and got the wrong idea.

"What's wrong" Jinx asked quickly.

"Nothing" Raven said.

"You wanna do something else" Jinx asked.

Raven paused to think.

"You do, don't you? Well, heck. I was just kidding about being tired. If Raven wants to"

"No, no. It's not that. I was just thinking about something" Raven said. Jinx looked confused.

"Ok. I did enjoy myself but I am ready to turn in" Raven finally admitted to make amends. The brightest grin Jinx had ever worn slowly developed on her face. Raven almost thought she was blushing with pride.

'Is it really that big of a deal?' Raven wondered, 'Strange kid.'

"You're going to hurt your face if you keep doing that" Raven told her.

"At least my face gets exercise—hey" Jinx cut herself off and looked toward the entrance. The PT Cruiser was still there. Raven didn't like where she thought this was going.

"We do have one more thing to do" Jinx said, stashing her goods in the jeep and motioning for Raven to follow her.

"What are you doing" Raven asked her.

"Come on."

"Tell me" 

"You can't let me get in trouble all by myself, can you" Jinx asked as she stealthy made her way towards the cruiser. Raven fought with the thought of stopping her and reluctantly followed.

"I need your help" Jinx said once they reached the front of the car. It was empty. Jinx bent down and grabbed a hand full of sand from the island. Before Raven could stop her, she spread it all over the windshield. Jinx slowly reached for one of Raven's hand, extended the index figure, then made her write 'wash me' in the dust. Raven looked at the job perplexed. She felt a little something tugging at her insides. She had just done something wrong. Simple, harmless, and yes, even stupid, but wrong all the same. And it felt damn good!

"Excellent work my apprentice. Now if you really want to mess with their heads" Jinx began to explain.

"No. That's enough"Raven said walking away.

"We could just"

"I said that's enough" Raven's authoritative tone returned. Where had it been the rest of the afternoon?

"Yes boss" Jinx said running to catch up with her friend.

'Boss?' Raven thought. 'Won't Robin be jealous.'

_Two days later_

Jinx had just returned from an early morning jog. Things started off interesting enough. Beast Boy was begging for his life and the executioner today was apparently Raven. Could it get any better? Jinx came up behind Starfire to get a better view of the action. What had her green friend done this time?

"So...is it true" Starfire asked, looking from Beast Boy—on his knees, hands together prayer style—to Raven—hood up and arms crossed. Raven's frown deepened when the others looked at her.

"Yes..." Raven trailed and began to say something else.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't shrink my head" Beast Boy blubbered.

"My, Raven" Starfire grew excited. She and Cyborg grew interested in Raven. What was this all about Jinx wondered.

"It's not that big of a deal" Raven batted them off.

"Didn't think it would ever happen..." Cyborg said. "Not that-I mean! Um...sorry" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks. Didn't think I'd have to worry about everyone's ridiculous over reacting to my" Raven said shaking her head.

"Finding true love! I wish to know all about your boyfriend" Starfire said, placing her hands together and swooning. Raven took a step back. How was she going to get out of this one? Just shout at them? Take off to her room? She didn't really want to treat her friends that way, but this really wasn't their business. Damn Beast Boy! Why did he have to be so nosy? Was it a condition? A disease?

"Hey" Cyborg said pulling Starfires elbow"Not so loud, now."

"Why? Is this not a joyous occasion on this planet" Starfire asked blankly.

"Sure" Cyborg said"But not everybody likes a marching band to go along with it."

Raven gave Cyborg's back a funny look as he began to shove Starfire and Beast Boy out of the living area. "Shows over people. Nothing to see here" he said. If Raven wasn't mistaken, the large tin man had just come to her aid. Raven could call her friends many things—many things!—but predicable was rarely one of them.

Jinx absorbed this new information almost unwillingly. She didn't realize she was flat against a wall looking like someone had made off with her senses. She shook off the shock and tried to leave without drawing any attention to herself. Her leg knocked a dresser. Her hands shot out to seize it and silence it's racket.

"I thought so..." Robin said, watching the girl with the pink hair in the corner of his eyes leave quickly. "Congratulations Raven" Robin said to his teammate and walked away.

"That went better than I thought it would. Guess they were all going to find out anyway" Raven said, having never noticed Jinx was even there.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Jinx girl, what you go get yourself into now?' Jinx panicked, pacing her room. 'You're no super hero! You're a joke. A trick! I lost her with out a real fight. This is so surreal,' she felt sick to the heart. Loss of this form was all new to her. It was almost to much.

There was a knock at the door.

"Jinx, it's Robin. Can I come in"

"Uh...Just a minute" she raced to her dresser and quickly looked at her mirror. She wiped at her eyes frantically and looked herself over then tried a practice smile. She was almost able to fool even herself. Satisfied, she moved to open the door and let the leader in.

"Hey" Robin said, coming in and then shutting the door"Anything you wanna talk about"

"Um... Not at the moment boss. Why" Jinx asked him blankly, trying to act as natural as possible.

Robin was silent for a second. Damn this job. He had found a threat and could not afford to be subtle when dealing with it. 'Sorry Jinx.'

"You like her, don't you" He asked, not flinching; convinced.

"Wha? What are you talking about boss" Jinx looked bewildered. Inside her thoughts raged with panic. This wasn't really happening, was it?

"Sorry Jinx, but it's obvious now. From day one I knew something was up but wasn't sure what. As time passed, yeah, it became the only reasonable explanation" Robin told her.

Jinx wanted to lie, to deny it. How could he know when she was barely sure herself? Things just went from horrible to terrible. It was the day from hell.

"Boss..." she whimpered, not sure what to say. Was he mad at her? The thought didn't hurt so much now. She had lost Raven. All other negativity would take backseat to that now.

"Hey, it's ok." Robin said placing his hand on her shoulders"At least I think it is."

She looked at him sadly.

"What do you mean" she was in trouble, her instincts were telling her. It was such a familiar position she felt almost like she had never left it. The only times in her life she ever felt safe were with the Hive and her early days as a Titan.

"I mean—" Robin stopped to best consider how to word this. Not only was she a threat, but she was also a person. A person he had grown to like.

"Ok, look. You're a Titan under my command. Now if Raven, the reason you came here, is gone, I need be certain you won't go rouge on us."

"I...don't know." Jinx's thought began to whirl. Go back to the Hive? Could she? Would they want her? Could she stand being one of the bad guys again?

"You don't know" Robin asked critically.

Jinx covered her mouth and sat down, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want to fight you guys again. I like all of you, but I don't think I could stay...I donno boss" she said, shaking her head sadly.

"Ok. Ok" Robin soothed sitting beside her"Calm down and think it over, alright" They were silent for a moment.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually" Robin said into the silence.

"Wha"

"She's very perceptive. It's only a matter of time before she figures it out herself. And if you know anything about her, you know that's true" Robin told her.

He was right Jinx realized.

"And don't worry about Charlie" Robin said"I don't think he'll be around for long."

Charlie? This was Raven's boyfriend's name? How did Robin even know that? Jinx was silent as she tried to figure out what this meant. Then her mouth made a large 'O'.

"Wow boss" Jinx said, sounding astounded"You're willing to kill off an innocent civilian just to keep your team together? So I can have Raven"

"What! No" Robin reacted. Jinx smiled, providing high contrast with the tears still hanging to her lower eyelids.

"It's just, I really don't think he's Raven's type..." Robin said. Far be it for him to know Raven's exact 'type' but he felt he had an idea what definitely wasn't her type, and Charlie defiantly wasn't it. " She's just experimenting, testing the waters. She won't like him. Trust me."

Jinx looked at her hands in her lap. She wanted to know just how Robin came to these conclusions, but she didn't feel the strength to probe now. She just wanted think. Alone.

"Thanks..." she said sadly.

"I want an answer soon, ok? Even if Raven doesn't feel the same way you do, you should consider staying. You make a great Titan" Robin told her and was soon out of her room, leaving her alone to think.


	7. Chapter 7even

Sorry folks. Lost my internet connection for a while. Glad eveyone seems to be enjoying the story.

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To reviewer: Spelt defenitely "defiantly?" I'll check and edit when I have time, but thanks for pointing that out! I already found some mistakes myself in previous chapters and plan to get to them...sooner or later.

* * *

Four days later.

Warmth. She was very warm now. The sensation was so overwhelming it almost brought tears to her eyes. Their were no images she could make out. Only colors that mirrored her feelings. Vivid white-orange. Like sunlight caught in honey. Her eyes were closed, she knew. Something familiar and yet not so familiar was pressing against her form. She knew it, and yet, had never felt it before. Like finding new markings on a long cherished item she thought she had seen all sides of.

She embraced this mysterious form and it held onto her as well. A sweet scent greeted her strongest senses. It reminded her of rain. She sighed and then felt lips press against hers. She didn't want to open her eyes. She savored the feelings trying to burn them all to memory. When her own lips parted slightly, her mouth was invaded by something that made her heart ring like a bell. In nothing but a long shirt and undergarments she felt her bare legs entwined with "hers." No longer able to take it, she opened her eyes and found Raven's, but then the dream slowly fled like the night fled from the sun.

Vision gave her the sight of a large white pillow. Upon further inspection she realized she was clutching it as if it were a person. Jinx frowned.

"Thanks for the offer Mr. Pillow but you're not nearly as sexy as she is," Jinx said, tossing it from her bed with one hand.

Jinx had made a decision. The most monumental decision she had made in her life. If she could not have Raven, she would still be a Titan. She had never made such a commitment in her sixteen and nine months alive before this moment. In a show of faith, and to pay Robin back for all the times he had helped her out when she was down, Jinx took to the training course for a couple hours a day in a serious effort to iron out her weaknesses. She also challenged her greatest fault which meant dragging random Titan's to the training course with her. She was going to learn to be a team player.

Another area she knew she should look into was actually becoming a Titan. Yes, she was on a team of super powered youngsters calling themselves Titans, but she had never become a Titan. She was the whimsical bad-girl who scoffed at the mission and was more interested in getting into a scrap than saving a cat in a tree.

Trying to meet this challenge, Jinx looked online for an hour before getting an inspiration from an ad that featured convicts doing community service.

The Tower was dead silent when she crept out of bed that mourning. She went into the kitchen to get the keys when he startled her.

"Morning," Robin's voice broke the silence like a bat meeting a glass window at sixty miles per hour. Jinx was so jolted she looked like she had been struck by lighting and stood stock still for a nanosecond. She dropped the keys to the jeep in the process. Where the hell did he come from?

"Boss!" Jinx exclaimed, trying to sound as if she were really looking for him all along.

"Where you going?" Robin asked her point blank.

"Um..." Jinx said.

"The truth please. It's early," Robin said.

"Ok..." Jinx said, looking around to make sure no other Titans were going to appear through walls. "If I tell you, will you promise you won't tell the others?"

Robin quirked a brow, "Why?"

"Promise! Please Robin?" Jinx begged, grabbing his arm. There. She said it. She almost never said please. Or Robin for that matter. That meant he had to agree or karma would cause him to trip over the cord of a cell phone or something. And no, cell phones didn't have cords, but karma was pretty powerful stuff!

"All right..." Robin gave in and she told him.

Jinx assumed reading to kids in the library would be hell. She assumed it would be an experience that would make her want relapse back into her cozy criminal ways rather than see the merit of upholding justice. She was right!

Hour later.

Raven awoke that morning without an inclination to do a damn thing. Controlling her powers was so easy she could balance herself by simply closing her eyes. It was surprising, at times, how strong she had become, but it had to happen eventually she rationed. Her last date with Charlie hadn't given her anything particularly interesting to dwell on. It had been dull. She wasn't surprised or even very disappointed. She only agreed to see him mostly out of curiosity. Charlie hung out at some of the places Raven would visit and subscribed to the "goth" subculture. Other than a few similar tastes she couldn't find much to like about him.

Raven rose from her bed still feeling no desire to do the things she normally did almost any and every day she wasn't fighting some evil forces. The books on her shelf looked bland. A trip to purchase new ones didn't catch her fancy. This left her with few options and she had to declare herself officially bored; a strange and rare occasion. She was sure most viewed her hobbies as boring anyway but it was not often that she did herself.

Later, after a belated breakfast devoid of company, she sat on the couch staring into nothing and doing nothing. The other Titans found this strange. Raven always did something, even if it didn't look particularly exciting.

"Uh...Raven. What's up?" Beast Boy, of course, was the first one to draw attention to this.

"Nothing. Why?" she asked him flatly.

"You're sitting here and ...not doing anything. I'd understand if the TV was at least on or something…" Beast Boy said.

"I'm sorry. Would you like me to dance?" Raven said, her voice descending into sarcasm.

Beast Boy seriously considered her question until she growled at him.

'Now where is Jinx?' Raven wondered, but didn't ask aloud. She hadn't seen much of her since... 'Since I started dating Charlie.' Raven considered. Coincidence? She couldn't think of a logical reason how these events might be connected, but people and their motives was probably the most complicated thing in all the universe. She hopped this wasn't a sign of anything negative to come. Come to think of it, Jinx was almost her shadow until Charlie showed up. Damn. 'What's going on with that girl now?' Raven worried.

Maybe that was what she wanted to do today: To just "hang out" with Jinx.

'Ugh. She'd have a ball with me if she knew I just thought that.' Raven knew.

"Where's Jinx?" she finally asked Robin thirty minutes later. He was dusting the living room.

Robin smirked to himself. Who would have ever thought it would happen? Raven actually missed Jinx. It was sweet that the team's darkest heroine had finally developed a fondness for another teammate. Of course, this didn't mean Raven would love Jinx the way the girl would probably wish, but it was something.

"Classified information Raven. I am not able to disclose," Robin informed her, and continued to dust. Raven hadn't expected such an answer and quirked a brow. Now her curiosity was eating at her. Yet another rare experience. Thanks a lot Jinx.

"Not even upon threat of death?" Raven asked. Obviously, she wasn't serious, but her dry tone would fool anyone who didn't know her as well as Robin did.

"Not even upon the threat of death," Robin said simply, giving some attention to a picture frame with his duster.

'Fine.' Raven thought. She could wait.

At two o'clock the living room doors were kicked open and in strolled Jinx with a single piece of paper in one hand.

"Lucy! I'm home!" she announced. Raven had to beat back the joy that spouted inside her. It wasn't much and nothing serious; with her new strength it wasn't even a danger for her to give into her emotions more often. Subconsciously, it was her reputation she was protecting.

"Hey Jinx!" Cyborg called from kitchen. He was making dinner tonight and needed to make sure they had everything he needed.

"You return to us at last! Have you many great tales to share?" Starfire asked.

"Nah," Jinx said, tilting her head to one side and waving the Tamaranion off, "Nothing interesting."

"But where've you been?" Beast Boy asked as they all watched her march into the kitchen. Did Beast Boy need to know everything? Raven wondered. Was the word 'privacy' becoming an oxymoron? Though, she'd be outright lying if she said she wasn't interested in the answer to the green one's question.

Jinx just hummed to herself happily as she used the magnets to keep a picture on the fridge in place. It was obviously done by a child. A character that suspiciously resembled Jinx herself was walking along cream-colored grass and holding hands with children under a purple and pink sky.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you could use some art lessons," Beast Boy said.

"Listen here green!" Jinx said, grabbing her teammate by the collar and pulling until their noses touched, "If this here isn't the damn greatest picture you've ever seen in your life I'll make sure you won't be seeing out of either eye for a week! Got it?" she was joking of course.

A recount of the trouble Jinx went through to get the picture soon followed for all who would listen. And that was every one, even Robin who seemed to always show up at the right time. Jinx had shown up for her community service and soon learned why her teachers in high school use to dress so boring. The children were completely distracted by her attire and spent a great deal of time dissing it. Except Timothy Doug Lewis Jr. His only complaint was her skirt, which he tried to look up on several occasions. Didn't matter to him that she was wearing shorts under it. The children wouldn't sit still for the story, became anti-artistic when it was time to draw, had her running around the library and getting into all kinds of trouble and flooded both restrooms. One could say it was a learning experience for both Jinx and the kids. Or they could tell the truth and say it was a disaster. She received the picture at the end of the day from little Samantha Tee Winter after parents had picked up all the other children. The little blond told Jinx the picture was hers to keep only if she promised to stop crying. Her teammates were in hysterics.

"And for the record, I wasn't actually crying!" Jinx defended herself. She watched, but this seemed to cool their amusement none. She shrugged and headed for her room. It was all pretty funny now that she thought about it and the picture did make her feel a lot better. Her hard earned reward.

"Aaaaa, what are you looking at?" Jinx spouted, her head held high as she passed a bemused looking Raven.

* * *

Following evening.

The scene was a drive-in-theater. The T-car was about forty feet from the large screen that was showing a comedy about teenagers. Cyborg and Beast Boy rested their stomachs against the roof of the car that Starfire and Robin were perched on a blanket in front of. This left Raven and Jinx in the back seat.

"Don't really seem like there's a one ton man-robot on the roof," Jinx commented looking at the ceiling of car. Raven went into a long, wordy and detailed explanation about the car's shock absorber system. She had helped Cyborg rebuild the auto from nothing once. Jinx was taken off guard by this.

"Cars, Ravy?" Jinx was looking at her as if they were meeting for the first time.

"What?" Raven asked in a near innocent manner.

"You're just full of surprises," Jinx said, turning her head to look at the movie. "Are you enjoying the cinema?" she asked.

"No." Raven replied. Jinx snickered.

"But you're enjoying the company you're keeping?" Jinx asked coyly.

"Don't start that again," Raven grumbled crossing her arms and looking at the movie. Grinning, Jinx obliged and grabbed her soda to take a zip then started on her popcorn. She offered Raven some but wasn't surprised when the other female politely refused. They hadn't seen much of each other lately. Jinx was usually training when Raven wasn't out with Charile. By outward appearance Jinx showed little interest in Raven's boyfriend. She did tease Raven about him, but only to keep the sorceress's keen suspicions at bay.

The reality of it was that it hurt Jinx as it would hurt anyone in the same situation, gender aside. Of course this was no one's fault, save maybe her own. Robin insisted she come clean but she just didn't have the courage.

"Why don't you eat more junk food Raven?" Jinx asked, "Afraid you're gonna get fat?"

"It does worse than that," Raven said.

"As super-heroines I think it's probably impossible to put on any real weight. I'll bet the government will make anyone of us that doesn't look like a future Lara Croft disappear if we don't fit the mold," Jinx proclaimed.

Raven shook her head and didn't reply. This made Jinx smile.

They sat in silence for a while. Jinx found her attention wondering away from the movie and into a pool of her own thoughts. The girl sitting with her now made her happy. Happier than she had could ever remember. Even when Raven wanted to kill her, Jinx had been so drunk on love that she might have let her just for the attention. Macabre thoughts, yes, but if she didn't have them she wouldn't be Jinx now would she? Well, she was sure Raven would at least think it was funny.

"Dammit," Raven cursed, dragging Jinx from her dream world.

"What?" Jinx asked.

"You called me Ravy again and I didn't even catch it," Raven confessed. Jinx thought it over and realized she was right. As a result she exploded with laughter.

"Super," Raven said flatly.

"Somebody likes their pet name!" Jinx hollered.

"You're missing you're movie," Raven tried to change the subject. Jinx looked at the movie just as the scene was changing.

"Why's it have to be my movie?" Jinx was feeling silly and wild as she always did after too much exposure to Raven. "I wouldn't have picked another damn teen movie!"

"Fine. You're missing _a_ damn movie!" Raven reacted with more emotion then the situation called for. Had to be the fact that she was dealing with Jinx. "Now sit down."

"Fine," Jinx said, seating herself and looking at the screen. A new scene. A couple of boys were circling two girls. The girls were bragging that they'd kiss each other for a fee. This gave Jinx a start. She went still and watched the screen very cautiously. Raven didn't seem to detect her growing anxiety. Jinx watched Raven in the corner of her eyes when the girls finally did lock lips. Raven had no reaction at all.

Jinx snorted at the sight in an attempt to strike up a discussion. "Stupid boys," she hissed.

"Very," Raven agreed.

"They should have had the guys kiss. That would have been hot!" Jinx commented wryly. Anything to get the information she needed without appearing serious.

"Right," Raven muttered with out looking at her.

"What?" Jinx asked, curious enough to probe, but still fearful to find out Raven's real opinion on homosexuality all together, "Is that disagreement I sense?"

"They are all hormone driven morons and b+ches to peer pressure. Then they'll find out they should have been themselves all along if they wanted to be poplular or something," Raven said. "I hate these movies."

"Oh..." Jinx said. "But if they were actually gay...If that was who they really where, that would be different?"

"It would still be a stupid comedy, but of course," Raven said simply, "Homosexuality is probably as old as human life itself. There had to have been a period of experimentation between adults before children resulted."

"You sure are graphic," Jinx went wide-eyed, unwillingly becoming plagued with images to go along with Raven's explanation.

"Some of us call it maturity," Raven said.

Maturity? Jinx took this as her cue to shut up. It was hard though! She had her answer. This sounded so promising! Of course her sweet Raven was miles ahead of most people Jinx realized. Of course Raven was open-minded. Of course she thought people should live with whomever they wanted to regardless of gender. Now if only she knew if Raven herself would ever consider caring so deeply for another female. Preferably Jinx herself.

* * *

Next evening.

'Access granted,' Jinx thought as she peered into Raven's room from the doorframe. The telepath that owned it stood right behind her. Jinx almost looked hesitant. She strolled into the room slowly and took in the sights as Raven closed the door behind them.

"It's very... Raven." Jinx said, looking at all the objects that made up Raven's rooms. Books resting on a shelf, gothic paintings hung on the walls, navy blue carpet under everything and the feet of two stone gargoyles guarding the end of Raven's bed.

"Yeah..." Raven's voice trailed as she tried to share her next thought, "Reminds me of home."

What was home to Raven, Jinx wondered, but didn't think she'd ask now.

"So what do I owe the honor of this...um...forget how that lines goes."

"Pleasure," Raven finished for her. Jinx's heart flip-flopped at the chosen word.

'Get your mind out of the gutter dammit!' Jinx chastised herself.

"Well I thought we could just...hang out," Raven said, moving to sit on her bed.

Jinx watched her and felt her knees turn to jelly. 'I can do this. I can do this!' she told herself. 'Were just going to hang out like we usually do. Ignore the bed. Ignore the bed.' Another thought struck her. 'Or...'

"Make way!" Jinx said diving at Raven. Though surprised, Raven managed to dart out of the way allowing Jinx to tackle only a pillow and fall off the other side of the bed. Raven lost sight of her until she popped up with the pillow and rested her head on it. Raven began to question her sanity. She had invited this into her room? All the power she had lately must have displaced her senses.

"Chicken," Jinx teased her.

"Sometimes its better to be a live bird of any type, as opposed to a dead one," Raven smirked.

"You can talk all that smart stuff but, will it help you if I ransom this pillow back to you?" Jinx said, grinning, "I want three unmarked bags of marshmallows!" The pillow was enveloped in black energy and freed itself from Jinx's grasp. It floated towards Raven and landed behind her as she lay down on her bed.

"A chicken and a cheater, huh?"

"All is fair in-"

"Enough! You're driving me crazy." Jinx said, crawling up onto the bed, sitting and crossing her legs. She swallowed when she realized she was exactly where she didn't want to be: on the damn bed with Raven. Her gaze trailed over Raven's relaxed from. The smooth, bare legs, flat stomach, slender curves...Jinx mentally slapped herself as hard as she could.

"How's Charlie?" Jinx jumped on the next thought that came to mind.

"Um..." Raven started, sounding as if they were talking about a lawn. One without grass. "I don't really know. His expressions are actually hard to read, but I'm sure he'll live."

"What do ya mean?" Jinx was confused.

"Well...I dumped him," Raven said, still barley interested. This floored Jinx and she hopped it didn't show.

"Really Raven?" Jinx asked. It sounded too good to be true. It was just like Robin said.

"Yeah. I was just..."

"Testing the waters?" Jinx asked with uncommon seriousness. Raven became instantly suspicious. For some reason she got the feeling that these words were not Jinx's but someone else's. Like the pink haired girl was parroting someone else's observation. It was a strange feeling. Like a premonition. Something wasn't right.

"Yeah, testing the waters," Raven said, "Why'd you go read to those kids in the library?"

"Um, uh..." Jinx was completely flustered by this question., "Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm curious," Raven said, not even looking at her. Her eyes gingerly looked towards the ceiling.

"Well...I was a rotten kid," Jinx began, and started to feel more comfortable. She had already told Raven most of this already, "And I'm supposed to be a Titan now so I thought I'd try to act like one and so...I thought I'd get a real good look at what were suppose to be fighting for. They're not so bad I guess."

"Hmmm..." Raven pondered. She felt like Jinx was leaving something out. Something very important. But what? And why? What could she do about it?

'Trust her,' Raven concluded. 'Like she said, most everyone has secrets. I'm not scared of hers. I'll wait and if she doesn't want to tell me that's on her.'

"So what's home like Ravy?" Jinx asked, rocking in place.

"My home looks like what you see around you," Raven said sitting up. Their faces were now only inches apart now. Jinx stopped rocking. "It's dark. It's quiet..." Raven smiled thinking of it. Jinx lost her breath in response to the rare sight. She had seen it quite a few times but would never tire of it.

"You should do that more often," Jinx said.

"What?"

"Smile. It's really pretty," Jinx blurted out. Raven raised a brow.

'I can't do this! I can't do this! I don't trust my body anymore.' Jinx thought, 'Screw it. I'll press this one. It's just an innocent complement. Hah! Like anything about me is innocent!'

"It is Ravy!" Jinx began to sing. She then made a ridiculously big smile, "Wanna practice some? I'll be your mentor."

"Spare me," Raven said, standing up, grabbing the covers and pulling them with all her strength. This sent Jinx tumbling to the floor for the second time that night. As Jinx lifted herself from the ground her ears were filled with Raven's laughter. She just stared at the other girl in amazement. She had made Raven laugh. Well, technically, Raven kind of made herself laugh, but Jinx had helped!

"I think...I broke her..." Jinx said nodding.

"What?" Raven said, unable to stop herself from grinning.

"Your brain. Yeah. You've definitely lost it sister and I take full responsibility," Jinx said.

"How kind," Raven said, her face almost returning to default. Blank.

"But you attacked me and of course you know...this means war!" Jinx said, diving at Raven. To her utter surprise she caught the mistress of the dark. Jinx pressed her advantage mostly due to instinct and pinned Raven's arms to the floor. Jinx forced herself the ignore the effects the contact had on her. Raven's thin writs were between her figures. If Raven were any normal girl she would be at Jinx's mercy. This excited her.

Raven disappeared in a puff of black energy, leaving Jinx alone for only a second. She reappeared in a flash of dark light and tackled her opponent. Jinx was the now the one pinned to the floor. Raven's face was close enough that she could taste her cool breath, her chest pressed against her own. Jinx was painfully aware of every part of Raven that touched her. Raven smiled into Jinx's surprised features.

"I really didn't bring you in here to knock you around," Raven confessed. It was so unlike her to be roughhousing for the hell of it. Was it the effect of sharing herself?

"You seem to be doing a good job of it though," Jinx said, with a little bit of rasp in her voice. Distraction was in her large pink eyes. Her body was over heating and her heart was hammering in her ribcage. All this contact was burning her restraint like string. She wanted to re-enact one of her daydreams. She couldn't stop looking at Raven's thin lips and imaging their taste. She wondered if it would remind her of rain. What texture was that silky looking blue hair?

'No! Focus!' Jinx warned herself. 'Just her friend. That's it! For now! I just need a little more time.'

"Are you alright? You don't look so good," Raven said, crawling off her. Jinx's mind cried with both relief and disappointment as Raven's body was removed. How was such a thing possible? Life was a real b+ch sometimes.

Jinx sat up and forced a cough. A ploy she hopped would make Raven suspect anything but the truth.

"I'm good," Jinx said, and coughed again. 'I've got to get the hell out of here!' Jinx looked at Raven's and remembered why she was here. She had been invited. As far as she knew, she was among very few to chance upon such an offer. Maybe the only one! Raven specifically said she wanted to "hang out." Raven had said this! She couldn't ditch her friend just because she couldn't control her hormones. She had to stay. Staying was a serious risk but so was living altogether.

"Are you sure?" Raven asked her.

"Hell yeah! Let's read or something," Jinx said burying her own desires, "We could get a TV stand and put a book on it. Take turns turning pages."

"Your insanity taxes my ability to describe," Raven said.

"I know you love it," Jinx said grinning. Raven walked off to fetch a book.

'That's taking one for the team. I pass up the chance to make my move to keep her happy,' Jinx thought. 'It's worth it though! Just a little more time and I swear I'll tell you.'

* * *

Morning after.

'Confession. Cause she's going to find out anyway. Confession. Because it's good for the soul. Confession. Because the longer you hold off, the longer you're a liability to the team. Confession. Because if you keep all this pent up inside you your head will shoot off like the top of a soda bottle!' Jinx thought as she drummed on the table with her fingers. Each finger rose one after the other then fell. Today was the day. There wasn't anything special about it save for the fact that all the other Titans were out.

She didn't sleep much after her little party with Raven. She spent most of the night staring at the ceiling trying to imagine Raven's reaction. The problem was she couldn't. Jinx looked down at her lap and at the bouquet of navy blue roses. A gift for the girl of her dreams.

'I'm such a classy chick!' she smiled to herself. Her eyes sought the clock. It was noon. It would be another late morning for the girl she was waiting for. Fine. More time to think.

The sound of a door opening made Jinx's stomach feel as light as air. Without thinking she dashed for the couch and shoved the bouquet under it. She then sat down and waited. Soon Raven appeared and Jinx felt her courage melt.

"M-morning Raven," Jinx stammered.

"Good morning," Raven said, walking into the kitchen. She detected something in the room with her. It almost made up a presence all its own. It was anxiety and a lot of it. Great. Now what's going on Raven wondered, "Where is everybody?"

"Here and there," Jinx said, which meant she wasn't even sure herself. Her eyes grew distant as she tried figure out how to approach her problem.

"What's wrong?" Raven's voice called to her. Her back was to Jinx. It was in a demanding tone.

"What?" Jinx asked.

"Don't lie," Raven said, still giving her gaze only to the tea she was preparing.

Jinx was on the spot. Should she lie or go for it? Under these circumstances? Some random morning without even having breakfast? A last meal? Jinx quickly grew sick of all the questions she was asking herself with. This wasn't the way she used to do things. She needed to jump right in with a devil may care vigilance. Taking a deep breath she grabbed her bouquet and marched right up to Raven and waited for the other female to turn around.

"These are for you," Jinx said, once Raven was looking at her. Jinx's fear carved a smile on her face that could easily be mistaken by confidence. Both of Raven's brows rose as she accepted the roses. She then looked to Jinx for further explanation.

"I have something to tell you," Jinx said staring right into Raven's eyes. She waited for her courage to bubble to the surface as much as it would and then let it out, "I-I...have...feeling for you Raven. I'm in love with you."

'Somebody loves me?' Interestingly enough was Raven's first thought before other thoughts rained on her young mind. This was Jinx! More pressingly, this was another girl. 'Stay calm,' Raven tried to tell herself. 'What the hell is going on!' it didn't seem to work.

"You're in love with me?" Raven said, part of her liking the sound of those words once they left her mouth while another part fought it. Fought it back hard! Jinx was a girl! Was this a prank? Raven found that Jinx's eyes didn't hold any silent mirth. This wasn't a joke. Damnation.

"Since I joined. You're the reason I joined!" Jinx explained hands gesturing helplessly as she tried to press her case.

"Me?" Raven was confused.

"Yes!" Jinx exasperated, "I just thought about you one day...things got carried away. Before I knew it I was a Titan and...you...I didn't know what you were really like but once I found out, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Ever." Jinx could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Raven silently took this information in. "I love you! I know I do! Everything about you. But if you're not that way...It's ok. I don't want to do anything that would be...bad for you..." Jinx said, backpedaling.

Raven's gaze lowered. So that was the missing piece to it all. It answered a number of small enigmas. All this time love had been the cause of this former criminal's career change. It was why she took the back seat when Charlie was the topic of discussion. It answered so many questions at once.

Jinx took Raven's silence as a sign of the worst.

'Time to throw in the towel Jinx,' the Pink haired girl thought sadly, 'This is just one of those things I'm going to have to live without,' Jinx encouraged herself. She had backed all the way out of the kitchen.

Maturity, Raven thought. Yeah, she thought she had all of major parts of life figured out. Or close to it and yet she had let herself be taken by surprise just because she managed to attract another female's interest. Well, not just any other female. Not nearly! Her best friend Jinx.

"I guess...You wanna think about it or something..." Jinx hesitantly. Raven kicked herself for leaving the other girl hanging. "And probably never speak to me again...yeah..." Jinx added nervously.

"I just did think about it," Raven said raising her head. Her hard blue eyes held Jin's pink ones. Jinx's heat stopped. She stood stock-still and waited. Raven began to close the distance between them. Her expression was unreadable. Jinx had never hated that attribute until now.

Raven looked the girl over. Lithe and formless in the upper torso. Jinx easily made up for this with her face. It was definitely a head turner even for those who didn't go for the dark look. Physical features had never mattered much too Raven anyway. This, she realized, meant being the same gender as a love interest was a very small barrier indeed. Love was love and someone was in love with her. "Everything" about her she had said?

"Ok," Raven said standing before Jinx. Her mind was finally clearing. "I really do like you Jinx..."

"But?" Jinx said lowering her head. Defeat. But at least Raven didn't freak on her!

"But...we'd have to spend sometime together to see if I love you," Raven said with a smirk. The unfamiliar words created a pool of warmth inside her. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked it.

Jinx's eyes bloomed with surprise and disbelief. "Y-you mean it?" Jinx asked her.

"Would I kid about something like this?" Raven countered. Raven thought about the reaction from the rest of the team. They'd probably annoy the hell out of her now on, but they'd get use to it. Beast Boy was probably going to be the worst. Robin, Raven realized with certainty, already knew all about this development., smart little bastard that he was. Though she had always been open-minded, Raven had never once really thought of dating someone of the same sex. She had always assumed her special someone would be male.

"I-I...uh," Jinx didn't even know what she wanted to say first. She was light headed. She thought she might float off into orbit at any minute.

"Thank you!" Jinx said, latching onto Raven. She pulled off just as quickly and put her hands behind her back. Her cheeks were beat red.

"For what?" Raven asked her.

"Um...for being born!" Jinx's wit returned.

"I'm going to put these in water. Thanks," Raven said, walking towards her room. Jinx rose a brow.

'This is weird,' Jinx thought. 'But good! But still weird. I'm going to date someone I'm living with. That means when we come back after our date we'll still be able to see each other. Aw, what the hell do I care! She's going to love me and want me around 24/7 anyway! Oh, yes you are Ravy! I've never been so determined.'

No. Not the end. See you next chapter!


	8. Final chapter

Wow. Sure are alot of you now. Well, thanks for the reviews! Don't know what else to say 'cept that they are appreciated.

This was the first chapter to give me any real trouble. Just couldn't figure out exactly where to go with it, but since your reading this now I obviously found out!

Additionally, I think I suck at endings and that's where we are now. Damnation.

* * *

In her quiet small room Jinx sat at her little desk with the eraser end of a pencil to the bottom of her lip. Her expression reflected deep thought. Scribbled on a piece of paper in front of her was a hand drawn map of the city. A couple of names were on the side with X's written on them.

"Wow...this is tough," Jinx started to pout. She wanted to plan her date with Raven so that it would be meaningful and different from any other. The weight of their own personalities was enough to make any encounter lively, but she wanted insurance. Tonight had to be special.

"Red Lobster? No. Ice-skating? Gah!"

Sure she could binge on places she knew Raven would probably like, but that seemed cheap to Jinx. She wanted to orchestrate an original, memorable evening. She wanted to anyway.

"Giving up," Jinx said, resting her head on the desk. Her mind wandered.

'I can't believe she's almost mine! She really is the coolest person I've ever met. And she was on the other side. So deep, dark, and forbidden. How did the mistress of bad luck get so lucky? She's like a treasure that was hidden in the open. She should have found someone by now...well, she kinda did, but he screwed up and now she's going to be all mine! Uh oh." Jinx said rubbing her stomach. Excitement mingled with unease in her core. 'Getting that butterfly effect. Maybe I can kill them with some Cool Aid...'

Her eyes fell back on the list. What exactly was she going to do with Raven now that she had secured some of the girl's attention and free time?

"I'll think of something," she promised, "But right now I'm so high I can hear heaven! But heaven. No Heaven don't hear me!" she began to sing. "And they say that a hero will save us. I'm not going to stand here and waiiiiiiit!"

Raven lay flat on her bed starring at the ceiling, but not seeing it at all. She was thinking about Jinx. How could she think of anything else? Did she really mean what she said? Was she really considering dating another female? And a teammate. And a teammate that is Jinx?

'Kinda late to be having second thoughts, isn't it?' she asked herself. Her hood was up. She usually wore it to gain distance while interacting with others. Now she may have wanted distance from the winds of change that were howling at her psyche. As much as she liked to think she was cool, calm and above it all, the idea of calling herself a lesbian still mildly stung her confidence.

"Still...she deserves a trial and I'm not going back on my word. I'll give it a try. It's not like we're hurting anyone."

At ten to nine Jinx cautiously crept out of her room. She looked down the hall and was relieved to find it vacant. Sighing, she strolled towards the living area. She had spent most of the day in her room formulating her plans for tonight and getting ready. She also didn't think it would be wise to see Raven. Somehow it seemed to her that it would spoil the mood. There was only one more thing to take care of: funds.

"Well look what we have here!" Cyborg's voice boomed, scaring the girl nearly half to death. He and Beast Boy walked up behind her.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy whistled, "Our base has been invaded and the culprit is good looking for once."

The boys circled Jinx eyeing up her outfit with appreciation. Jinx's petite build was accentuated by a one piece, long sleeved, black and pink dress, the back end of which came to a stop at the back of her knees. The front was a little shorter and ended half way up her thighs. A pink swath ran down the front. With this she wore her normal boots but the purple and black socks were missing.

Jinx fought back a blush.

"Hey B, you seen Jinx lately?" Cyborg said, elbowing Beast Boy and winking at him.

"Nope. Haven't seen her all day," Beast Boy said, playing along, "How about you lady? She kinda looks like you, but you're a bit cuter,"

"Guys! Jinx was completely flustered by the attention. "Cut it out! You're making me feel like a...a-"

"A girl?" Cyborg asked with a big grin.

"Yeah. One of those."

"Well exuuuuuuuuse us! Didn't mean to commit such a heinous act!" Cyborg shouted. He and Beast Boy began to giggle. Jinx failed to stop her self from smiling. That made them worse. Damnation.

"So who's the lucky guy? Anyone we know?" Beast Boy asked. Jinx looked reluctant to answer. So obviously Raven hadn't told them. Should she?

"Um...yes actually. But I want it to be a surprise." Jinx told them. They looked very interested now. "Speaking of my date..." Jinx said. "Can I borrow a few bucks?" The boys both gained disapproving looks.

"Did I say something wrong?" Jinx asked them.

"What kind of guy doesn't pay for his girl?" Cyborg growled. The very idea seemed to have him in an uproar.

"Uh...no! It's not like that eh...I just wanna have something in case something goes wrong, ya know?" Jinx said quickly.

"Oh..." Cyborg said. His mood changed instantly. He produced some cash from a slot on the side of his metallic thigh.

"Thanks a bunch!" Jinx exclaimed taking the money from his waiting hand. "You know I'll give it back to you."

"You ready?" Raven's voice entered the room. They all turned to her to find that she wasn't in her normal apparel either.

She wore a blue sleeveless gown that was floor length in the front and back, but cut leaving the sides of her legs exposed up to the hip. The hood and cape were missing and blue arm warmers covered all but her shoulders and fingers.

Jinx and the boys were tongue-tied.

"If these pretty people have come to kill us we can now die happy," Cyborg said. Jinx's elbow caught him in the side. He smiled cheekily.

"You look good," Jinx said fighting for control of her voice as she approached Raven.

"I know," Raven said truthfully. "Thanks. You look nice too."

Jinx swallowed. Those damn butterflies were wreaking havoc on her insides. How could pretty bugs be so violent?

Jinx moved towards the door, opened it and held it for Raven. Raven passed through and Jinx followed.

"Later guys!" Jinx called back to them as the door shut.

Cyborg and Beast Boy stared at the space the girls had been standing in blankly for nearly two minutes.

"Oooooooooh!" Cyborg said. Apparently he had realized something. "I see. So they have a double date! For a minute there it looked like-"

"Yeah. Yeah. I know what 'ya mean." Beast Boy said, mind weighed down by previous thoughts that seemed inconceivable. He then laughed at the stupidity of it. Jinx and Raven? Riiiiiiiight.

"But that'd be dumb, right?" Cyborg said, looking at Beast Boy.

"Of course. Raven already has that Charlie guy and both of them are just so not…uh...ya' know what I mean?" Beast Boy added.

"Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Though...Jinx said she was going out with someone we knew. I wonder who...?" Cyborg began to think.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Raven's cool voice stung the silence that rested between the girls as Jinx steered the jeep down the quite streets.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Jinx quipped. She couldn't stop herself from grinning. Those butterflies hadn't died but so far they weren't hindering her performance too much. She was relieved to find that she wasn't struggling to make simple conversation.

"Are you telling me to read your mind?" Raven asked.

Jinx giggled nervously, "Suuuuuure. Give me a chance to change my mental subject though."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Raven asked looking at her.

"Uh...You look very pretty tonight!" Jinx said too quickly with a guilty smirk that said more than her words.

"You're as bad as a guy," Raven scoffed.

"It's not the only thing on my mind!" she said, her cheeks becoming as red as the streetlight she was starring at. She could imagine the butterflies doing cartwheels on a trampoline in her stomach now.

"So what else goes on in there?" Raven asked her.

"Um..." Jinx started. Jinx found that most of her thoughts did indeed focus on Raven. Nothing else that came to mind at the moment would likely be of interest to her date. But why let that stop her? "What will we do if Robin runs out of fancy lines to say at the beginning of battles? Are Titan's East ever going to get their own theme song? Do you think Brother Blood has a thing for Cyborg? I mean he's always obsessing over him. Could Superman take Slade in a fight?"

Raven, as was becoming common, found herself amused but without answers. She fought back a grin and lowered her head. Jinx considered this a victory.

"No one gets to you quite like I do, do they?" Jinx asked her.

"I plead the fifth. I really don't want to encourage you," Raven began.

"Ravy, Ravy Ravy," Jinx tsked, "I can see through most of your double talk now. When you say 'no comment' it means you agree!"

Raven considered this for a moment and then uttered a curse. Jinx laughed.

* * *

_Later. _

"You ever play pool before?" Jinx asked Raven. She was waiting for her to accept the stick as the two stood near the game table.

"No ... But I assume I won't be able to say that after tonight?" Raven said, taking the stick. She looked at it blankly. She did not look like she was planning to enjoy herself. Jinx was accustomed to this. The only thing that bothered her was that she felt like there was more on the line this time.

'Just like I always do it,' Jinx encouraged herself. She had got Raven to enjoy herself in the most unlikely of ways and places in the past. She intended to do it again.

"There's an old dating cliché where the guy stands behind the girl and shows her how to shoot. You wanna give it a try?" Jinx teased Raven.

"Sure," Raven said eyeing Jinx levelly. Jinx nearly choked on the air she was breathing. She had not expected such a response. "Didn't bite off more than you can chew did you?" Raven taunted her. Jinx reacted and moved behind Raven. Fighting back her agitation, she wrapped her arms around Raven and helped her position the stick. Raven was grinning, but it was at Jinx's awkwardness. How cruel! But part of Jinx responded to this. She began to wonder if she could turn the tables on Raven. Worth a shot.

"Now just pull back," Jinx whispered in Raven's ear, in what she thought was a breathy murmur, as she moved Raven's hand and the stick. No. The other girl didn't flinch. Not even when Jinx tightened her grip around Raven's lithe body. Jinx shot her hand, with Raven's, forward smiting the white ball and set off a chain reaction as the triangle of objects on the other end of the table came. The formation came undone. None of the balls were pocketed. Jinx wasn't paying attention. Her cheek was nearly against Raven's. The sent of White Diamond was drowning her senses.

"Earth to Jinx. I think it's your turn. You can let go of me now," Raven's voice broke the hypnotic hold she had on the other girl.

"Eh..." Jinx shook her head letting go of Raven. The game continued. Raven let Jinx "help" her make a couple more shots but they were to no avail. Jinx beat Raven in only five turns.

"Whoopie! What I win?" Jinx hooted after she sunk the last ball.

"An audience of perverts," Raven said, looking around at the group of males who had been watching from the sidelines. Jinx took note of them and realized that they had probably been watching since she practically groped Raven at the start of their game.

"Ah. The devil's favorite food? What good is that to me?" Jinx said, eyeing them with a sadistic grin.

"You could take them with you when you die," Raven said.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Jinx told Raven.

"In either case, I don't think I like this scenery anymore."

"All righty," Jinx said, looking at her watch, "Let's get going then."

Jinx led Raven outside and down several blocks. It occurred to Raven that Jinx had the night all planned out. Raven found herself brightening inside at the idea of Jinx going through all this trouble for her.

As they tracked down Jump city's art district packed in close with college students Raven began to hear music. They were approaching a crowd that was forming around a stage in the middle of the exceptionally large sidewalk. Apparently this sort of thing happened a lot.

'Great. Rock music.' Raven thought glumly.

"Just one song," Jinx promised Raven. They stood two yards from the stage for fifteen minutes as the local band finished checking their instruments. After an introduction they began to play. The first song started off with a haunting melody, then the drums gave it a building, suspenseful feel that continued when the lead singer opened his mouth and for the rest of the song.

_"I see a red door and I want it painted black_

_No colors anymore I want them to turn black_

_I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes_

_I have to turn my head until my darkness goes_

_I see a line of cars and they're all painted black_

_With flowers and my love both never to come back."_

Raven looked at Jinx. The other girl smiled innocently. Raven turned back to the band and found that the lead singer was looking directly at Jinx.

_"I see people turn their heads and quickly look away_

_Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day_

_I look inside myself and see my heart is black_

_Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts_

_It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black_

"_I wanna see the sun... blotted out from the sky_

_I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black_

_Yeah!"_

Silly song. Stupid song! But it was for her. Jinx had gotten them to play it in her honor. It wasn't a ballot of misery despite its lyrics. It had an upbeat hook. It was dark humor. Raven felt... something. The best word she could think of to describe it was warmth. She thought her face might be glowing. As the song ended Jinx took Raven's hand and lead her towards the next destination.

Through an alley and on the next street, Raven was led into a small restaurant. Not much later they were seated and their orders were being prepared.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" Jinx asked. Raven was silent for a moment.

"Yes," she uttered. What else could she do? It was true!

"Really?" Jinx seemed as surprised as Raven was.

"Strange but true," Raven told her. The song was still playing in the back of her mind. She considered it a complement. Only someone who knew her well would be able to come up with that.

"What's so strange about liking hanging out with me?" Jinx feigned offense.

"Well, I didn't think I'd like it. But I do," Raven said. Sincerity filled her irises when she looked at Jinx.

"Well t-then everything's going according to plan," Jinx said, stammering and shifting in place. Raven didn't miss this of course.

"You don't look as though you've got everything under control," Raven teased her, "You're fidgeting like a fish in a net."

"How can I help it? You keep looking at me like I'm a Hot Fudge Sunday or something!" Jinx said.

Raven frowned. "I would not look warmly at a half pint of sugar, milk and toxins," Jinx grinned in response and Raven returned it. The waiter then returned with their food.

* * *

"Um...Speedy?"

"No."

"That kid with the Pac-Man shirt?"

"Na."

"Gizmo?"

"You crazy?"

"Aqualad?"

"That was your first guess, remember?" Cyborg said. He then stood up and turned off the TV.

"Well dude. I don't know," Beast Boy said standing and yawning. "She said it was somebody we know, so we've probably said his name about forty times already. He probably sneezed himself to death. Poor Jinx." Beast Boy laughed.

Cyborg shook his head and walked into one of his favorite parts of any home. The kitchen.

"I'm late for my second lunch. I better hurry up because it's almost time for my first dinner!" Cyborg said.

"Great. Now I get to watch you drain half of our food supply instead of something interesting." Beast Boy sighed.

"Well. I think it's interesting." Cyborg mumbled, "I mean, Cyborg versus this left over turkey!" the machine man said snatching a tray from the fridge. "What will happen? Can he handle it?"

"Dude. I can't watch. Meat is wrong! Would you eat me if you got hungry enough? Huh?"

"Nah. You'd complain all the way down." Cyborg said and started laughing.

"May the spirit of that poor bird haunt your dreams," Beast Boy cursed, crossing his arms and looking away.

"So...then I'd have like another short, weak, ugly, thing annoying the hell out of me besides you?" Cyborg returned. Beast Boy glared at him while thinking of his comeback. It was going to be a good one too. A damn good one. So good it would-

"Titans. Trouble!" Robin shouted coming into the room. Starfire flew in after him.

"Saved by the bell dude," Beast Boy told Cyborg.

"I'm so sure." Cyborg said, downing a chunk of turkey and turning to Robin and Starfire.

* * *

"Where's Raven and Jinx?" Robin asked them. Cyborg and Beast Boy's first reaction was to simply look at each other.

Raven and Jinx walked away from the restaurant in blissful silence. Just as their communicators alerted them that they were needed, an eardrum splitting crash was heard. They looked around and only found panicked people, but no one seemed to know what the danger was.

"Raven! Jinx!" Robin's voice blasted from their communicators, "There's trouble-"

'No! Not the 'T' word!' Jinx thought.

"I think we've found it. Or vice versa." Raven said calmly as Cinderblock came into view one block down. He was caring a bus on his shoulders. Jinx looked upon the fiend with disfavor.

"Looks like we've got work to do," Raven said, raising several feet into the air and flying for the stone giant. Jinx glared at Cinderblock. He was ruining her evening! Things had been going perfectly until he showed up. But Raven didn't seem too broken up about his intervention.

A number of objects were covered in Raven's influence and then used as projectiles by the teen. They all hit their target, but didn't seem to have any effect. Raven next lifted large parts of the ground under his feet. They came crashing down on him soon after. Again. Little effect. The monster only growled and tossed pieces of the rubble back at Raven. As she began to dodge them he charged for her.

Jinx walked towards the conflict feeling no empathy for the frightened people running frantically about, but annoyance. Annoyance of the highest caliber. She found herself hoping Raven's incredible powers would take him out quickly, but of course that was not to be. And just what was his deal anyway? Why was he attacking buses? Some half-ed plot by some would-be-mega-boss that was controlling him no doubt.

Jinx soon launched her own attack, but her heart wasn't in it. When she leapt off a car and kicked him in the side of the head he wasn't defeated and she was only irritated by this fact as she dodged the flying fist that was aimed at her. When she threw her bright pink Hex Bolts causing streetlights to fall on him and he only shrugged she was boiling hot. She didn't make an effort to safely approach the problem. She just rushed the one-ton villain head on as if she were the same size as him. She wanted him gone. She wanted to continue her date. She wanted to kill him if she had too.

Jinx was now recklessly dashing for Cinderblock when she was whisked out of his striking range by a wall of black energy. When it was gone Jinx was face to face with Raven. She looked disappointed.

"What are you doing?" Raven demanded. On instinct Jinx tried to retract her feelings. Cover them. Starbolts were now raining down on Ciderblock. Down the street the T-car could be seen storming up towards them. Soon the other Titan's were engaging Cinderblock in battle. Jinx turned to go back to the battle. Raven wanted to question her more but now wasn't the time.

Even with the help of the other Titan's the battle waged on for another thirty minutes. They just couldn't seem to do enough damage to incapacitate the super heavy villain. Jinx fell to the street floor for the fifth time by her count. She was sick of this. She didn't want to be a super hero right now! And her poor dress. It was tattered. Thank Karma she had thought to wear shorts under it or else she would be giving the spectators a thrill that had nothing to do with super powered figures duking it out.

Jinx slowly rose to her feet. Her anger mingled with her Hex power. A cloud of energy developed around her. Its force was so strong that she had to power walk towards Cinderblock. The other Titan's didn't notice until a second before a large sphere of pink energy was sent hurtling for CinderBlock. Once it hit its mark, the giant slipped and fell into the corner of a building. Several parked cars on a hill suddenly rolled towards him. Most smashed into him while a couple others hit the other corner of the building. Soon it collapsed on top of him.

The other Titan's watched speechlessly. Looking from the rubble, to Jinx, and back at the rubble. This time Cinderblock didn't get up again.

"Um...good job." Robin said to Jinx. Raven had the same disapproving expression she had before. Jinx was in trouble again.

"It just occurred to me..." Beast Boy said busy with his own thoughts and not picking up on the tension. "Where are your guys' dates? I can understand if Charlie was laying low but isn't yours a hero?" Beast Boy directed his question to Jinx.

"Um..." Jinx said looking to Raven for guidance.

"Just tell them," Raven said flatly.

"My date is right there," Jinx said, pointing at Raven but not meeting the gaze of her friends. Robin smiled approvingly. He already had figured as much once Cyborg and Beast Boy told him of the girls' departure, but he was still pleased to hear it from Jinx herself.

"WHAT!" Cyborg and Beast Boy said at the same time. Starfire was also in shock but not nearly as bad as the boys.

Raven crossed her arms and glared back at them. Her expression almost held challenge.

Starfire's shock soon gave way to overwhelming happiness.

"This is true? I am so happy for my friends!" Starfire said hugging Jinx.

"Ah! Star! Stop! She might get jealous," Jinx yelped.

"Oh! Forgive me!" Starfire said, releasing Jinx.

"Wishful thinking on Jinx's part," Raven quipped, "I'd much like to continue our date now. Give the boys some time to get adjusted to the news while we're at it," Raven said. Cyborg and Beast Boy were still frozen on the spot with their jaws hanging like hinges. "They must want to catch flies," Raven said and walked away from them.

* * *

"Don't do that again," Raven said to Jinx once they were alone again. They were now entering the park. It was vacant, silent and in Raven's own opinion, beautiful. Every leafless tree was a lattice with its branch work framed by a star filled sky. The path they were on was illuminated only by old-fashioned lanterns.

"Do what?" Jinx asked, not liking this teacher student feeling she was getting.

"Put your needs before your duty," Raven said, stopping and facing her friend.

"What are you-" Jinx began.

"I saw it Jinx. All you wanted to do was take Cinderblock out. That may make you more effective, but it's not worth it."

Jinx held a betrayed look but soon realized it was true. She had put her needs before everyone else like some kind of selfish...criminal. Some reformed villain she was turning out to be. The truth made her sick. Was she really this self-serving? Could she really call herself a hero now? What if Raven never existed? Would she ever have changed sides? She felt awfully hollow now.

"Sorry..." she muttered looking away but didn't think it would be enough. It was hard to know exactly what would appease Raven.

"Hey," Raven said, moving so she could get a better look at Jinx's face. "It happens to all of us from time to time. Even Robin. Just be more careful next time, all right?"

"Really?" Jinx asked, trying to imagine this flaw Raven spoke of in their great leader.

"Yes. But lets not talk about that now."

"Ok," Jinx said, "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Let's just talk." Raven said. And so they did. They eventually ended up on their backs next to a lake. It was light and casual conversation about people and the meaning of existence.

A sudden silence overcame them. Not an uncomfortable silence, but one of commune. A breeze stirred the trees in the distance. Jinx shivered and could hear Raven do the same.

"Ravyyyyyy?" Jinx began in a coy tone Raven was all too familiar with.

"What?" Raven said, keeping her voice even out of habit.

"Are you the cuddly type?"

Raven was silent for moment before she said, "No. Why do you ask?"

"I'm cold."

"So?"

"So help me."

"No."

"I don't even believe you," Jinx said, sitting up and crawling towards Raven to pear down on the object of her affections, "You look damn cuddly to me."

"You're sick," Raven said.

"Nuh ah. I'm as happy as a kitten after cat nip she was sippin'," Jinx sang.

"How romantic."

"Make room or your darling will freeze!" Jinx said, lying down next to Raven and throwing an arm around her, "And yes, my darling, I do mean me." Raven snorted and began to say something. "Ah!" Jinx cut her off. Silence again. Jinx contently rested her head against Raven's neck, relieved that the other girl didn't shove her off.

"I see a line of cars and they are all painted black. With flowers and my love both never to come back."

Jinx took a moment to realize it, but that was Raven's voice singing these words.

"No longer will my sea go turn a deeper blue. I could not foresee this thing happening to you. I want to see it painted black."

"And pitch," Jinx added without moving her head. Humor was caked into her tone. How could she help it? Raven was singing!

"And pink," Raven said. Jinx giggled.

"Jinx, I need you to tell me something," Raven said.

"What?"

"Why me?"

Jinx was bewildered by the question. She was being asked to reveal herself and she didn't think she could. Her own thoughts sounded silly to her. She was sure Raven would laugh.

"I knew you were modest Raven, but now I'm thinking you're a psycho-phant." Jinx hopped she could change the subject but part of her knew Raven would not relent.

"The word you're thinking of is sycophant and I'm not fishing for complements. I just want to hear it from you. Why?" Raven said.

Jinx swallowed and gathered her thoughts.

"Well...You're pretty. Very pretty. You're funny," she paused. When would it be enough? She could go on forever. Raven was silent so she went on, " And really sweet. Not in the obvious ways. Ya know? Underneath it all."

Raven remained silent as she took this in. That warm feeling had come back and it was building. Like an avalanche. She really hadn't expected Jinx's words to affect her as much as they did. She had wanted details, reasons, but then again these were about a person's feelings. She should have expected as much. After a moment Jinx spoke.

"It's my turn to ask a question," Jinx declared, propping herself up on an elbow to look down on Raven. Raven's eyes were counting stars.

"Go ahead," Raven responded.

"You were always cooped up in your room when I showed up. I'm sure it was the same before I came. You ever get lonely Raven?"

"Sometimes..." Raven told her.

"Well...I'll never leave you alone," Jinx lying down again and tightening her hold on her friend, "Not even if you want me too." Jinx snickered. She once again buried her face in Raven's neck. Raven's heart seemed to kick her at that moment. This silly girl said the strangest things, but she understood them and almost always found amusement in them. Truth and comfort were also there. Raven could feel it now more than ever. She really could tell Jinx anything.

Raven had come to a conclusion. All the bubbling feelings she had been experiencing had a name. A short four lettered name. This girl conjured up things she always knew were in her but rarely found reason to express. She was in love with Jinx. She was no stranger to the concept of love. She had read about it countless times. Had thought she found it once even. Had believed in pairings possibly stranger than her and this girl. Now she was sure she had found it.

"Jinx," Raven said. The other girl looked like she had fallen asleep. "Jinx," Raven called again, shaking the shoulder Jinx's head was resting on.

"Hmm?" She asked looking into Raven's eyes with her own half lidded. Raven stared back at them and felt for the first time apprehension. There was a whole other world behind them. A person with her own history that had somehow led her to Raven. And now she would ask Jinx to reserve herself for her. "I have something to tell you"

"I'm all ears."

"I-..." Raven paused finding the words odd. How strange. She forced them out so she could be done with it, "I do love you." Jinx was surprised. She swallowed and repeated the words in her mind unable to pry her eyes from Raven's lips. Had those words really left the girl's mouth?

"You love me?" Jinx asked her.

"Yeah...I do." Raven said with growing confidence. Jinx's eyes shown brighter than they ever had. Something more enchanting then any magic Raven had ever seen. This girl really was in love with her.

"Why?" Jinx suddenly asked. Raven was instantly reminded that she had asked Jinx the same thing only moments ago. She collected her thoughts and began to speak when a strange sensation overcame her. Her response was muffled due to the fact that there was another person's tongue in her mouth. It brushed against her own and ran along her teeth. She was paralyzed by the tingling that was left on her lips once it was removed seconds later but it seemed a lot longer. She thought time might have stopped as she could clearly remember ever detail of the unexpected gesture of affection. Jinx was looking down at her smugly.

"So what's it feel like Ravy? Being in love, I mean. Does it make you feel like toasted marshmallows inside?" Jinx asked her.

Raven was still speechless. Slowly her face became the confident one Jinx knew all to well.

"Feels like you just slipped and gave me an edge," Raven said. Jinx cocked her head slightly wondering what she meant. "Now I know how to shut you up," Raven said, pulling her love down to kiss her again. This time it lasted until they were breathless Jinx collapsed in the embrace of the sorceress and rested her head against her chest.

"You wish to spend your existence with me?" Raven asked her.

"Absolutely," Jinx said.

"Then I wish the same from you," Raven said.

A/N: Don't own the song Paint it Black. That belongs to the Rolling Stones. Don't own the song Hero either. That belongs to Nickel Back.

That's it! One of you said the chase is often more interesting then the actual catch. Why most romance fics end around here I guess.

Sorry if it seems rushed! Critisize if you must. I encourage you too!

Well, I do have ideas for two other stories pairing these same girls. Plus, I hear Jinx will appear in season four. I hope they develop her! It could give me more ideas.

So keep an eye out for another story from me!


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